HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Food: Waste

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will take steps to ensure that the House of Commons signs up to the Waste and Resources Action Programme's voluntary agreement to reduce food waste.

John Thurso: I understand that the hon. Member is meeting officials next week to discuss the voluntary agreement for the hospitality and food service sector, and the work that it might entail. I am sure that they will be keen to learn more about how the Waste and Resources Action Programme can contribute to reducing further the amount of food waste from catering operations in the House of Commons.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Betting: Dormant Accounts

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to require commercial betting operators to report the amounts held in dormant betting accounts and unclaimed winnings in their annual returns to the Gambling Commission; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: holding answer 19 March 2012
	In his report the right hon. Member for Bath (Mr Foster) suggested requiring commercial operators to report the amounts held in reclaiming winnings and dormant betting accounts. As his report also recommended, the Government will consider this issue once we have legislated for our proposals for remote gambling.

Broadband

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the likely effect of femtocell technology in expanding mobile coverage in not-spot areas.

Edward Vaizey: As part of the Mobile Infrastructure Programme, Ofcom and my officials are exploring a range of technology solutions to deliver mobile coverage into not-spot areas. Femtocells are included within the technologies being studied.

Digital Technology

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how his Department defines the term digital economy.

Edward Vaizey: This Department does not define the term specifically, and various academic studies take slightly different approaches, but broadly the digital economy underpins the whole economy and enables the UK to be competitive and more productive. Digital communications infrastructures, such as the broadcast, broadband and mobile networks, enable the delivery of services by the wider economy, as well as delivering consumer choice and services themselves. They enable our creative and content industries to continue to be among the most innovative and best in the world, and as a whole the digital economy accounts for approximately 23% of UK GDP growth according to McKinsey.

Libraries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many libraries he has visited in an official capacity since May 2010.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 20 February 2012
	Ministers have visited various libraries in the course of their duties since May 2012, including those in Thame, Birmingham, York, Norwich, Bristol, Hertford and Salisbury.

Mass Media

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what media monitoring services his Department has purchased in each of the last five years.

John Penrose: The costs of media monitoring (inclusive of value added tax) for this Department in the last five years is in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Cabinet Office Media Monitoring Unit Precise Media Monitoring—press cuttings service 
			 2006-07 35,426.25 86,945.43 
			 2007-08 40,537.50 68,072.16 
			 2008-09 45,237.50 45,402.86 
			 2009-10 44,275.00 48,374.06 
			 2010-11 42,887.50 40,109.95 
		
	
	The Cabinet Office Media Monitoring Unit provides monitoring of broadcast media and wire services, plus some monitoring of print media. Precise media monitoring (formally EDS Media) provide a daily press cuttings service in the Department's policy areas. The cost of fees to the Newspaper Licensing Agency is not included within the costs of the press cuttings service.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Lost Property

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Hugo Swire: In the past 12 months, four small exercising aids were reported missing from the Department. Each of these items was very old and was not replaced. It is estimated that it would have a cost a total of around £40 to replace these items.

Mass Media

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what media monitoring services his Department has purchased in each of the last five years.

Hugo Swire: Comparable figures for my Department as it is now configured are not available before 12 April 2010 following the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions.
	The Northern Ireland Office Information Service costs for media monitoring for April 2010 to April 2011 were nil.
	The Northern Ireland Office Information Service costs for Media Monitoring for April 2011 to March 2012 were £11,340.

Parades Commission

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2010 of the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; what assessment he has made of the value for money of the Commission; and when he expects the Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2010-11 and 2011-12 to be presented to Parliament.

Hugo Swire: The Annual Report and Accounts of the Parades Commission for 2009-10 was presented to the Northern Ireland Office and laid before Parliament on 6 September 2011. The Parades Commission is an independent non-departmental public body and its Accounting Officer holds delegated responsibility for considering value for money in respect of the Commission's operations. During the course of each financial year, the NIO, in conjunction with HM Treasury, conducts a detailed review of all funds, including those allocated to non-departmental public bodies. The Commission is expected to present its Annual Report and Accounts for 2010-11 and 2011-12 before the summer recess.

Terrorism

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which agencies are responsible for monitoring levels of terrorist and criminal activities linked to proscribed organisations in Northern Ireland.

Hugo Swire: Protecting national security, which includes the monitoring of terrorist activity, is the responsibility of the Security Service, who work closely with the PSNI, An Garda Siochana and others. Responsibility for policing is devolved and therefore monitoring of criminal activity is the responsibility of the PSNI.

Terrorism

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what matters are covered by the term explosives security in the devolution settlement.

Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), retains functions under the regulations covered by sub para 6 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Devolution and Policing of Justice Functions) Order 2010 which refers to those matters relating to the regulation, control and security of explosives (and those chemicals which can be used if they were an explosive) in Northern Ireland and which involves their full licensing and traceability from point of manufacture to ownership and eventual point of use.

Welfare Reform Act 2012

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effect of the Welfare Reform Act on (a) child poverty, (b) pensioner poverty and (c) families in poverty in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: Except for the technical provisions set out in section 149 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 this statute does not extend to Northern Ireland. Social security, child support and pensions are transferred matters which are the responsibility of the Minister for Social Development in the Northern Ireland Executive.
	I understand that the Minister for Social Development intends shortly to introduce a Welfare Reform Bill to the Northern Ireland Assembly following the consultation that is required under section 87 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to provide single systems of social security, child support and pensions for the United Kingdom.
	The assessments requested by the hon. Member are. therefore, matters for the Minister for Social Development.
	The reforms provided by the Welfare Reform Act 2012 in respect of Great Britain will ensure that around 2.8 million households are better off, 1 million households will see an increase of £25 in their weekly income. The reforms in Great Britain will also take 900,000 people out of poverty and we shall invest an additional £300 million into child care support under universal credit, on top of the £2 billion already spent under the current system. The reforms will ensure that under universal credit work will always pay.

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2011, Official Report, column 518W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in his Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

Hugo Swire: The Northern Ireland Office has not employed anyone in the last 12 months in any of the specified categories.

WALES

Mass Media

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what media monitoring services her Department has purchased in each of the last five years.

David Jones: The Wales Office purchased media monitoring from the Central Office for Information in each of the last five years. This contract ended in August 2011 when our Communications Branch took over media monitoring.

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2011, Official Report, column 662W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in her Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

David Jones: In the last 12 months, we have had two undergraduates, one who undertook voluntary work experience as an optional part of his degree course during term time, and a second who undertook a work experience placement during his summer holidays. We had no one employed outside our hiring criteria.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Planning Permission

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a management board of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a statutory consultee for planning applications (a) within the AONB and (b) on land adjacent to or overlooked by an AONB.

Bob Neill: A management board which oversees the management of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is not a statutory consultee as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2010. It is open to management boards, including local Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty partnerships, to identify for the local planning authorities concerned, the types of planning applications they are likely to be interested in and on which they may wish to comment.

Building Regulations

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the flexibility of the requirement in the national building regulations to use Gyproc ThermaLine SUPER board when retrofitting a building.

Andrew Stunell: Part L of the building regulations sets performance-based energy efficiency standards for works carried out in buildings, including the upgrading of thermal insulation when external fabric is renovated (where this is cost-effective). The regulations neither prescribe nor prohibit the use of particular materials or products. It is for the building control body to assess whether the products and materials used are fit for purpose and whether the works meet the requirements in the regulations.
	The statutory guidance to Part L (conservation of fuel and power) recommends that where thermal elements (external walls, roof, floor) are being renovated e.g. re-roofing, rendering etc. then cost-effective improvements should be made to bring these elements up to a certain level of thermal efficiency. The guidance suggests that the use of insulated wall board is one way of upgrading walls, though advises that an assessment should be made of the impact on the internal floor area, acoustics and the risk of condensation.

Landlords

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what his Department's definition is of a long-distance landlord;
	(2)  what his policy is on long-distance landlords;
	(3)  whether his Department has conducted research into the growth of long-distance landlords.

Grant Shapps: My Department does not collect information specifically on “long-distance” landlords, and does not have a definition of long-distance landlord. We expect the same level of performance from all private landlords, regardless of where they live. The existing regulatory framework underpins that expectation.

Local Government: Newspaper Press

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  for what reason local authorities are required to advertise statutory notices in local newspapers;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the costs and benefits of requiring local authorities to advertise statutory notices (a) in local newspapers and (b) by other means of communication.

Bob Neill: The purpose of statutory notices is to ensure that the public are informed of decisions by their local authority which may affect their quality of life, local amenity or their property. This is especially the case in relation to planning applications, where there is a limited period for local residents to make representations.
	My Department has not made any recent assessment of the costs and benefits of statutory notices.
	Notwithstanding, Ministers have been clear that, in an internet age, commercial newspapers should expect over time less state advertising as more information is syndicated online by local authorities for free. The flipside is the free press should not face unfair state competition from town hall newspapers and municipal propaganda dressed up as local reporting.

Localism Act 2011

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects provisions within the Localism Act 2011 relating to the duty of local authorities to hold a register of community assets to come into force.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 20 March 2012
	We are currently in the process of finalising the Assets of Community Value provisions which will require local authorities to make available a list of their assets of community value. We expect these regulations will come into force in the summer of 2012.

NewBuy Guarantee Scheme

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the likely level of take-up of the New Buy Guarantee scheme in London.

Grant Shapps: With the NewBuy Guarantee scheme we have made provision to help up to 100,000 home buyers secure higher loan to value mortgages in England for new build properties. It will be for potential homebuyers in each local area to decide which mortgages and properties are right for them.
	Properties can cost up to £500,000 and still be eligible under NewBuy, meaning that families seeking to buy homes in the south-east are able to access the scheme even though they live in an area of higher demand and therefore higher property prices. Just 5% of housing developments are too expensive to be purchased under NewBuy, and they are more likely to be bought by people who do not need the scheme's support.

Parish Councils: Bureaucracy

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to reduce red tape and bureaucracy facing parish councils such as Bayston Hill Parish Council.

Bob Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government are taking a number of steps to reduce bureaucratic hurdles for parish councils.
	We plan to promote a legislative reform order to repeal section 150(5) of the Local Government Act 1972. This provision, which requires two members to sign every cheque issued by a parish council, puts barriers in the way of these councils adopting modern electronic methods of payment. We aim to publish draft proposals for the legislative reform order to repeal section 150(5) in the next few weeks, and to implement the reform later this year.
	We are reviewing the audit arrangements for smaller local public bodies, following the 2011 consultation on the future of local audit and the Government's response to it, which was published in-January. We intend to publish proposals for smaller focal public bodies alongside the draft Local Audit Bill this spring.
	Furthermore the new general power of competence in the Localism Act 2011 will enable an eligible parish council to do anything which an individual can do, rather than being constrained to act only within the limits of specific powers. It will free them to act innovatively without being found by the courts to have acted ultra vires. The power will also enable such parish councils, for the first time, to do things for a commercial purpose. This power will be available from April, subject to parliamentary process, to parish councils if they meet certain requirements.

Shared Room Rate: Lancashire

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people will be affected by the extension of the Shared Room Rate to under-35s in (a) England, (b) Lancashire, (c) Hyndburn borough council area and (d) Rossendale borough council area.

Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The information is presented in the following table:
	
		
			 Claimants affected by the extension of the Shared Accommodation Rate age threshold 
			 Area Number of claimants affected 
			 England 55,500 
			 Lancashire 1,420 
			 Hyndburn 190 
			 Rossendale 110 
			 Notes: 1. The figures are estimates, derived from analysis of the housing benefit caseload at March 2010. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. The figure for Lancashire is the total across the 12 local authorities in Lancashire, excluding unitary authorities. Source: Equality impact assessment of the increase to the Shared Accommodation Rate age threshold, available on the DWP website at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-hb-shared-accommodation-age-threshold.pdf

Wind Power: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any protection is offered to Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Shropshire from applications to erect large wind turbines.

Bob Neill: In the consultation draft of the National Planning Policy Framework we made it clear that local planning authorities should give great weight to protecting landscape and scenic beauty in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Decisions on planning applications affecting an area, as elsewhere, should be made in accordance with the development plan for the area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
	Section 85 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 puts a duty on a relevant authority in exercising or performing any function in relation to, or so as to affect, land in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to have regard to the purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the area.

Wind Power: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the opportunities available to local communities in Shropshire to engage with relevant planning authorities on planning applications to install wind turbines in the Rea Valley.

Bob Neill: We have not made a specific assessment of the situation in the Rea Valley, but I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone) on 15 March 2012, Official Report, columns 398-99W.

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 741W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in his Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

Bob Neill: Between 1 March 2011 and 29 February 2012, my Department has provided placements for:
	Five interns through the Greenwich university internship programme;
	Four interns recruited through open advertisement on the website:
	www.w4mp.org/
	Five individuals through the Cabinet Office work placement programme; and
	Nine individuals on work experience placements arranged through informal routes. (Details of how these were arranged have not been recorded centrally.)
	It is possible that other work experience placements have been arranged through informal routes and have not been recorded centrally.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Programme

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding from the Access to Work Scheme has gone to support people resident in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) the North West and (c) England in each of the last five years; what such funds have been used; what provision it has gone towards; and what the average level of each grant is.

Maria Miller: Information on Access to Work awards granted and the corresponding spend is only available from 1 April 2007 onwards. Spend information is currently only available up to 31 March 2011.
	The following table shows the Access to Work spend in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) the North West and (c) England in each of the last four full financial years, broken down by the type of Access to Work support the provision has gone towards(1,) ( ) (2):
	(1) Source—Access to Work database. Amounts are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Totals may not sum due to rounding. " — " Denotes nil or negligible or corresponding number of awards granted is less than 5.
	(2) The Access to Work budget is national and as such there are no individual budgets allocated to geographical regions.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Area Type of AtW support 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 St Helens South and Whiston constituency Adaptation to Premises — — — — 
			  Adaptation to Vehicles — — — — 
			  Communication Support at Interview — — — — 
			  Miscellaneous — — — — 
			  Miscellaneous with Cost Share — — — — 
			  Travel in Work — — 1,000 1,000 
			  Special Aids and Equipment 9,000 32,000 20,000 20,000 
			  Support Worker 142,000 123,000 160,000 172,000 
			  Travel to Work 34,000 35,000 32,000 48,000 
			  AtW Assessment 15,000 15,000 16,000 13,000 
			  Total 201,000 206,000 230,000 255,000 
			       
			 North West Adaptation to Premises 66,000 122,000 117,000 131,000 
			  Adaptation to Vehicles 130,000 139,000 122,000 89,000 
			  Communication Support at Interview 4,000 3,000 3,000 2,000 
			  Miscellaneous 55,000 21,000 4,000 14,000 
			  Miscellaneous with Cost Share 1,000 10,000 19,000 4,000 
			  Travel in Work 28,000 40,000 85,000 63,000 
			  Special Aids and Equipment 1,290,000 1,249,000 1,677,000 1,576,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Support Worker 4,318,000 5,476,000 7,177,000 7,767,000 
			  Travel to Work 2,492,000 2,842,000 3,331,000 3,484,000 
			  AtW Assessment 736,000 728,000 848,000 807,000 
			  Total 9,119,000 10,630,000 13,382,000 13,937,000 
			       
			 England Adaptation to Premises 558,000 859,000 1,303,000 1,309,000 
			  Adaptation to Vehicles 909,000 732,000 931,000- 688,000 
			  Communication Support at Interview 54,000 46,000 43,000 46,000 
			  Miscellaneous 383,000 131,000 83,000 82,000 
			  Miscellaneous with Cost Share 54,000 119,000 105,000 50,000 
			  Travel in Work 487,000 702,000 851,000 784,000 
			  Special Aids and Equipment 7,378,000 8,630,000 11,071,000 10,067,000 
			  Support Worker 30,785,000 36,838,000 46,813,000 52,905,000 
			  Travel to Work 17,369,000 20,355,000 22,818,000 24,696,000 
			  AtW Assessment 2,991,000 3,304,000 4,727,000 4,274,000 
			  Total 60,968,000 71,715,000 88,745,000 94,902,000 
		
	
	The following table shows the average level of each Access to Work award in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) the North West and (c) England in each of the last four full financial years, broken down by the type of Access to Work support the provision has gone towards(3).
	(3) Average award defined as total Access to Work spend divided by the number of Access to Work awards granted. Average awards are rounded to the nearest £100.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Area Type of AtW support 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 St Helens South and Whiston constituency Adaptation to Premises — — — — 
			  Adaptation to Vehicles — — — — 
			  Communication Support at Interview — — — — 
			  Miscellaneous — — — — 
			  Miscellaneous with Cost Share — — — — 
			  Travel in Work — — — — 
			  Special Aids and Equipment 400 1,100 600 1,100 
			  Support Worker 7,500 6,200 6,900 6,900 
			  Travel to Work 2,300 2,400 2,100 2,500 
			  AtW Assessment 600 500 300 300 
			  Total 2,300 2,100 1,800 2,400 
			       
			 North West Adaptation to Premises 3,400 4,900 2,700 4,700 
			  Adaptation to Vehicles 4,100 4,100 3,100 3,300 
			  Communication Support at Interview 100 200 200 100 
			  Miscellaneous 400 700 400 2,300 
			  Miscellaneous with Cost Share 200 500 1,300 — 
			  Travel in Work 300 400 600 400 
			  Special Aids and Equipment 1,200 900 900 1,300 
			  Support Worker 3,900 4,300 5,100 5,000 
			  Travel to Work- 1,800 1,900 2,000 1,900 
			  AtW Assessment 700 400 300 400 
			  Total 1,800 1,700 1,700 2,000 
			       
			 England Adaptation to Premises 3,700 4,700 5,200 6,200 
			  Adaptation to Vehicles 3,900 3,200 3,900 3,800 
		
	
	
		
			  Communication Support at Interview 200 100 100 200 
			  Miscellaneous 800 1,000 900 1,300 
			  Miscellaneous with Cost Share 400 1,500 1,600 1,500 
			  Travel in Work 800 900 900 700 
			  Special Aids and Equipment 1,100 1,000 1,100 1,500 
			  Support Worker 4,600 4,900 5,300 5,200 
			  Travel to Work 2,000 2,100 2,100 2,200 
			  AtW Assessment 400 300 400 400 
			  Total 1,900 1,900 2,000 2,300 
		
	
	A person may receive more than one element of Access to Work support at any given time. Therefore the sum of the Access to Work awards granted in a year is greater than the total numbers helped through Access to Work in that year. For example, there were 45,700 awards granted in Great Britain during 2010-11, at an average cost per award of 2,300. This resulted in 35,820 individuals being helped through Access to Work during 2010-11, with an average cost per person of 2,900.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions a Jobcentre Plus decision-maker did not follow the advice of an Atos-approved healthcare professional when making a decision on the eligibility for employment and support allowance in each month since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: Decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance are made by Jobcentre Plus (JCP) decision makers who make the decision having weighed up all of the evidence, including the Atos recommendation.
	The following table shows the number occasions where the JCP decision maker's final decision was different to the advice given by the Atos healthcare professional.
	
		
			 Month 2010-11 JCP decision differs from Atos recommendation 
			 May 900 
			 June 900 
			 July 1100 
			 August 1200 
			 September 1300 
			 October 1900 
			 November 2600 
			 December 2300 
			 January 2700 
			 February 3100 
			 March 3700 
			 April 2800 
			 May 3100 
			 Notes: 1. These figures do not include work capability assessments completed on incapacity benefit (IB) reassessment claims. The Department has recently published initial findings on the outcomes of IB reassessment, which can be found on the departmental website: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_ibr. 2. The table includes initial assessments only and that the numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many work capability assessments have been carried out by Atos Healthcare in each month since May 2010;
	(2)  how many appeals to work capability assessment decisions have been heard in each month since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: The Department regularly publishes data on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA), the latest publication was released in January 2012 and can be found on the departmental website here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
	Tables 2a and 2b show the total number of WCAs completed against ESA claims and their outcomes by the date the assessment was completed, broken down by month of assessment. This is the latest data available. Table 2a covers the initial WCA on a claim and table 2b provides data on any further WCAs on an existing claim.
	Table 3 in the publication gives the outcomes of completed appeals by the month the claims started.
	I have placed a copy of these tables in the Library.
	Note that these figures do not include WCAs completed on incapacity benefit reassessment claims. The Department has recently published initial findings on the outcomes of IB reassessment, which can be found on the departmental website here:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_ibr

Attendance Allowance

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of digitising attendance allowance records for the purposes of allowing data to be used more widely by organisations in the care system to target prevention and other holistic services.

Maria Miller: No estimate has been made of the cost of digitising attendance allowance records for the purposes of sharing this information more widely with the care system. There are no plans to digitise these records.

Employment and Support Allowance

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of employment and support allowance claimants have been placed in the Work Related Activity Group without face-to-face medical assessment for (a) all claimants and (b) people whose primary reason for claiming is a mental illness.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Employment and Support Allowance: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency will no longer receive contributory employment and support allowance from 1 May 2012 as a result of changes contained in the Welfare Reform Act 2012.

Chris Grayling: Estimates of the numbers affected by time limiting contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) for those in the Work Related Activity Group have been made at a Great Britain level and breakdowns for particular groups or geographical areas are not available.

Employment Schemes

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish all available data on his Department's work experience schemes for the unemployed by (a) constituency and (b) company.

Chris Grayling: I have placed the number of starts on the Voluntary Work Experience scheme by parliamentary constituency in the House of Commons Library.
	We do not collect the information requested in respect of companies in a central data base. Gathering the relevant data would involve contacting each Jobcentre in Great Britain which could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Employment Schemes

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the definition is of each of the four assurance levels which are awarded to welfare-to-work providers by his Department's Provider Assurance Team.

Chris Grayling: The four assurance definitions are:
	Strong—Governance, risk management and control arrangements provide strong assurance that material risks are identified and managed effectively.
	Reasonable—Governance, risk management and control arrangements provide reasonable assurance that material risks are identified and managed effectively. Moderate remedial action is required.
	Limited—Governance, risk management and control arrangements provide limited assurance that material risks are identified and managed effectively. Remedial action is required.
	Weak—Governance, risk management and control arrangements provide weak assurance that material risks are identified and managed effectively. Urgent and significant remedial action is required.

Employment Schemes

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account his Department took of the contract performance and risk assurance ratings of welfare-to-work prime contractors under Flexible New Deal and other relevant programmes when awarding prime contracts for the Work programme; and to what extent past performance data and assurance ratings formed part of the Department's assessment of supplier capability in the preferred bidder selection for the Work Programme.

Chris Grayling: Work programme was a call-off contract(s) let under a framework, following a mini-competition. There was/is no scope at mini-competition stage to run a selection procedure; this was carried out during the ERSS framework competition and therefore was not/should not be repeated at mini-competition stage.
	Selection criteria focus on the tenderer (i.e. “can they do it”), while award criteria focus on the bid (i.e. “how will they do it”). When call-off contracts are let under a framework agreement, DWP can only use appropriate award criteria. DWP must maintain this distinction between selection criteria and award criteria, or risk challenge.
	Experience is a selection criterion. Therefore DWP could not use “past experience” as an award criterion in the WP mini-competition.
	The same award criteria have to be applied to all framework providers bidding in the Work programme mini-competition in order to comply with case law and the principles deriving from the treaty on the functioning of the European Union (including the principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination).

Employment Schemes

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department's Provider Assurance Team undertook assurance rating reviews of the Flexible New Deal prime contractors who submitted bids for the Work programme tender; and if he will publish the assurance ratings awarded to each prime contractor.

Chris Grayling: DWP's Provider Assurance Team undertook reviews on Flexible New Deal providers. The assurance levels awarded to providers cannot be published as they are commercial in confidence.

Employment Schemes: Bicycles

Phil Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many bicycles have been purchased for customers of Jobcentre Plus through the Flexible Support Fund.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.
	In the period from 9 April 2011 to 2 March 2012 there were 55,578 awards made from the Flexible Support Fund relating to barriers to work (travel costs). These awards are primarily for travel to work costs until the customer receives their first wage. The majority of these awards relate to public transport and petrol costs, although the purchase of a bicycle may be included where this is considered the best option for the customer. However a breakdown of these awards into these categories is not available.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created by the Youth Contract (a) nationally, (b) in London and (c) in Bethnal Green and Bow constituency.

Chris Grayling: The Youth Contract will, from April 2012, provide nearly half a million new opportunities for young people over the following three years.
	No estimate has been made of the distribution of impacts from this package of measures by individual region or constituency.

Health and Safety Executive: Redundancy

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many health and safety inspectors he expects to be made redundant between 2012 and 2015.

Chris Grayling: There are currently no plans to make any health and safety inspectors redundant between financial years 2012-13 and 2014-15.

Health and Safety Executive: Redundancy

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many back-office staff in the Health and Safety Executive he expects to be made redundant between 2012 and 2015.

Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety Executive expects that two back office staff will leave the organisation on voluntary redundancy terms in 2012-13. There are currently no other plans to make any other back-office staff redundant between financial years 2012-13 and 2014-15.

Income

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in each local authority with (a) one and (b) two adults in work had incomes below (i) 60 per cent., (ii) 50 per cent. and (iii) 40 per cent. of the median in each year between 1995 and the most recent year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Information Commissioner

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals his Department has made to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions has made no appeals to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months.

Invalid Vehicles

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to (a) give priority to reconsideration cases where the loss of a mobility vehicle is imminent and (b) to extend payment of the allowance until after the reconsideration period in such cases.

Maria Miller: Prioritising reconsideration cases where a loss of a Motability vehicle is imminent would be unfair to all other claimants who have requested a reconsideration. The Department is committed to ensuring that all reconsideration cases are dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. In addition, it is also improving its processes to help ensure that decisions are right first time. There is no legislative basis to extend payment of benefit after a disallowance decision has been made.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims were made in 2011 for jobseeker's allowance; and how many of these were rejected.

Chris Grayling: Between January and December 2011, 3,352,758 claims to jobseeker’s allowance were processed by Jobcentre Plus. Of these 2,905,502 resulted in an award of jobseeker’s allowance. Consequently, 447,256 applications processed lead to a nil award of benefit.

Lost Property

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Chris Grayling: In accordance with guidance from HM Treasury, the Department maintains records of certain high-value property that it owns, such as specialist equipment and plant and machinery. In the last year no items recorded on the register have been reported as lost or stolen.
	Lower value items of computer equipment are leased from service providers. In the 12 months ending 31 December 2011, 97 items have been reported as lost or stolen, none of which have been recovered to date. The Department does not record the replacement cost of those items that are leased from a third party.
	The Department requires that all portable computer equipment used to store or process personal data is encrypted.
	In cases of theft appropriate action is taken by the Department to fully investigate the matter, and the police are advised as a matter of routine.

New Enterprise Allowance: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of take-up has been of the (a) new enterprise allowance and (b) new enterprise allowance loan in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency since its introduction.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not publish new enterprise allowance statistics at the levels requested.
	Information for Great Britain is published and shows that, for the period January to November 2011, the number of mentor starts was 6,880, of which 1,740 were in central England. In the same period in Great Britain, the number of weekly allowance starts was 1,960, of which 470 were in central England.
	Official statistics are available and can be viewed at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/pwp/pwp_gbw_feb12.pdf
	The Department does not publish statistics for new enterprise allowance loans.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to his Department's publication, Personal Independence Payment-Policy Briefing Note on Young People, whether disabled young people aged 16 to 25 years in 2013 will be one of the last groups moved into personal independence payments;
	(2)  with reference to his Department's publication, Personal Independence Payment (PIP)-Policy Briefing Note on Young People, what plans are in place to run disability living allowance and PIP in parallel for disabled young people turning 16 years of age after 2013;
	(3)  what support he plans to provide to disabled young people as they move from disability living allowance onto personal independence payments at 16 years of age after 2013.

Maria Miller: When new claims to personal independence payment are introduced from spring 2013, it will be available to young adults, aged between 16 and 25 whose claims are administered by Bootle Benefits Centre, from areas including Merseyside, North West England, Cumbria, Cheshire and North East England. The remaining network of Benefits Centres currently administering new claims for disability living allowance will start to take on new claims for personal independence payment from summer 2013. New claims to disability living allowance will not be accessible as an alternative once it is rolled out nationally.
	We are currently working through the details of the development of personal independence payment but we are sensitive to the needs of children and young adults and will ensure processes are designed with their needs in mind.
	Processes will be informed by consultation with disabled young adults and representative organisations. A sub-group of the Implementation Development Group, who are our primary mechanism for consulting with national and local organisations that represent a broad range of disabled people, are specifically looking at the issues of children and young people who are approaching their 16(th) birthday. We will use their ideas to inform the design of personal independence payment wherever we can.
	Mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that there is continuity of payment of disability living allowance while an individual is being assessed for entitlement to personal independence payment.
	We will not reassess any of these claimants until autumn 2013, once the new claims process, which is due to start in spring 2013, is running as planned.

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with Remploy on procurement of goods from its factories.

Maria Miller: The Department operates a number of framework arrangements for the supply of goods and services. The call-off of individual arrangements from the framework provides many opportunities for partnership and collaborative working. Many of the contracts that DWP tenders are too large and/or too complex for most supported businesses to fulfil on their own. Often the best way to involve supported businesses in delivering Government contracts is by encouraging them into the supply chain as a sub-contractor to the main provider. This Department through its Supplier Charter expects first tier suppliers to consider where it is appropriate to use supported factories or businesses in their supply chain to deliver contracts. This position is monitored continuously.
	It is for Remploy to ensure it secures orders and attracts new business. The company continues to work with the public sector to identify procurement opportunities for its factories. There is currently a framework agreement in place that was set up using the provisions in the UK Public Contract Regulations 2006 which public bodies can use to buy goods and services from supported businesses. This framework includes four sectors: recycling secure and non-secure, document, management and furniture. Remploy are on the framework for all four sectors.
	Following publication of the 2008 Modernisation Plan of Remploy, a great deal of work was taken forward across Government (and with the involvement of key stakeholders including local authorities, the devolved Administrations and the trade unions) to increase public procurement opportunities for supported businesses. This activity raised awareness and increased opportunities but these have not resulted in sufficient profitable business to make the majority of Remploy's businesses financially viable.
	As an example of this, DWP hold a contract with Hewlett Packard (HP) for IT and Desktop services. Remploy, building on DWP's existing contractual arrangements, forged relations with HP and became a direct supplier of IT end of life services. Through this agreement Remploy delivers services from its site in Porth to ensure that HP equipment is data-cleansed and that any equipment which still has a useful life is reconditioned and redeployed within DWP.

Remploy: Redundancy

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support he plans to provide to assist Remploy employees who will be made redundant to find new employment.

Maria Miller: I recognise that announcements regarding the future focus of specialist employment support involve difficult news for the staff in Remploy factories and I understand that they will have concerns about their future. As part of the collective consultation, the Remploy Board will consider all proposals to avoid redundancy.
	A comprehensive support package will be in place to support every disabled member of staff who is displaced from a Remploy factory. Each affected disabled member of staff will receive individualised support for up to 18 months to help with the transition from Government-funded sheltered employment to mainstream employment.
	This package of support is designed to be flexible so that support can be tailored to meet each individual's specific needs and will draw on the skills of organisations such as Remploy and Jobcentre Plus, but will also benefit from the experience of organisations such as the Employers' Forum on Disability, and that of local charities and user-led organisations.

Remploy: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has held any discussions with the Welsh Government on the future of Remploy factories in Wales.

Maria Miller: I met with the Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning in the Welsh Government on 13 March to discuss the Government's response to the Sayce review and its impacts on the Remploy facilities in Wales.
	I also spoke with Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning in the Welsh Government on the morning of 7 March 2012 before the written ministerial statement on Employment Support was tabled, Official Report, columns 53-6WS.
	I spoke with Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning on 22 February 2012 about the Sayce review.
	A meeting was offered with me on 19 January in Wales but this was cancelled by the Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning.
	Additionally I wrote to the Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning in November 2011 inviting him to contribute to the Inter-Ministerial Group on Disability Employment.
	I also wrote and spoke to the Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning when the Sayce review was launched last summer.

Social Security Benefits

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the total household income including working tax credit, child tax credit, child benefit and council tax benefit 
	(1)  of a couple working 20 hours a week on the minimum wage living in their own home and paying £1,000 in council tax (a) currently, (b) after changes to qualifying requirements for working tax credit on 1 April 2012 and (c) including out-of-work benefits;
	(2)  of a couple working 21 hours a week on the minimum wage living in their own home and paying £1,000 in council tax (a) currently, (b) after changes to qualifying requirements for working tax credit on 1 April 2012 and (c) including out-of-work benefits;
	(3)  of a couple working 22 hours a week on the minimum wage living in their own home and paying £1,000 in council tax (a) currently, (b) after changes to qualifying requirements for working tax credit on 1 April 2012 and (c) including out-of-work benefits;
	(4)  of a couple working 23 hours a week on the minimum wage living in their own home and paying £1,000 in council tax (a) currently, (b) after changes to qualifying requirements for working tax credit on 1 April 2012 and (c) including out-of-work benefits.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows.
	On the assumption that this couple has two children:
	(a) Prior to April 2012, this household would be entitled to working tax credit and they would have income of around £349 per week. This includes around £14 a week in council tax benefit.
	(b) In 2012-13, this household would not be entitled to receive working tax credit and would have income of around £281 per week. This includes around £19 a week in council tax benefit.
	(c) If this household was out of work their income would be around £271 per week. This includes around £19 a week in council tax benefit.
	The Government are reforming the welfare system through the introduction of universal credit in October 2013. Universal credit is designed to improve financial work incentives. And in this example the couple will be around £119 per week better off working 16 hours a week compared to being out of work.
	Notes:
	1. Part (a) is based on the tax/benefit system in 2011-12.
	2. Parts (b) and (c) are based on the tax/benefit system in 2012-13.
	3. Universal credit is based on the tax/benefit system in 2014-15.
	4. Income is defined as net earnings in addition to any benefits or tax credits.
	5. Council tax of £1,000 a year has been equated to approximately £19 a week.
	6. All numbers have been provided in 2011-12 prices and where necessary deflated by the GDP Deflator. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest £1.

Social Security Benefits

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the mean annual amount paid in state benefits to each in-work individual in each (a) region and (b) local authority area was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information is provided in the following tables.
	We have included mean amounts for those in work and claiming benefits, and also the mean amount for all those in work whether claiming benefits or not. Estimates are based on survey data, and only allow for breakdowns to Government office region level, so information at local authority level is not available.
	
		
			 Mean annual amount of income from benefits for benefit units containing an adult in work, by region 
			 Region Mean (£) Sample size 
			 North East 1,400 604 
			 North West 1,600 1,805 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,400 1,293 
			 East Midlands 1,600 1,136 
			 West Midlands 1,600 1,373 
			 East 1,500 1,477 
			 London 1,300 1,663 
		
	
	
		
			 South East 1,600 2,063 
			 South West 1,700 1,059 
			    
			 England 1,500 12,473 
			 Wales 1,700 737 
			 Scotland 1,400 2,748 
			 Northern Ireland 1,600 1,346 
			    
			 United Kingdom 1,500 17,304 
			 Source: Family Resources Survey 2009-10 
		
	
	
		
			 Mean annual amount of income from benefits for benefit units in receipt of benefits and containing an adult in work, by region 
			 Region Mean (£) Sample size 
			 North East 2,900 323 
			 North West 3,300 955 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3,000 686 
			 East Midlands 3,100 596 
			 West Midlands 3,400 719 
			 East 3,200 803 
			 London 3,400 767 
			 South East 3,300 1,110 
			 South West 3,400 599 
			    
			 England 3,300 6,558 
			 Wales 3,300 403 
			 Scotland 3,200 1,313 
			 Northern Ireland 3,300 698 
			    
			 United Kingdom 3,300 8,972 
			 Notes: 1. The Family Resources Survey (FRS) is a nationally representative sample of approximately 25,000 UK private households. 2. Data for 2009-10, the latest year available, were collected between April 2009 and March 2010. 3. The figures from the FRS are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the estimates to Government office region populations by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error. 4. A benefit unit is defined as a single adult or a married or cohabiting couple and any dependent children. An adult is defined as those individuals aged 16 or over, unless defined as a dependent child. An individual may be defined as a child if aged 16 to 19-years-old and they are not married nor in a civil partnership nor living with a partner; and living with parents; and in full-time non-advanced education or in unwaged Government training. 5. Adults in work include all adults who are an employee or self-employed—both full-time and part-time. This includes those doing unpaid work in their own business or a business that a relative owns. 6. A benefit unit has been defined as in receipt of benefits if at least one member of the benefit unit is in receipt of income from at least one benefit. 7. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest £100. 8. The FRS is known to under-record benefit receipt. Please see table M6 for more information: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/frs/2009_10/chapter7.pdf 9. Entitlement to some benefits is based on the circumstances of an individual, while others are based on the circumstances of a benefit unit. Therefore it is more appropriate for the analysis requested to be presented at benefit unit level rather than at an individual level. 10. These results do not adjust benefit incomes to account for family size and composition. In addition the mean can be distorted by benefit units with either very large or very low incomes. Source: Family Resources Survey 2009-10

Social Security Benefits

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse was of benefits paid to individuals who were in work in 2011.

Chris Grayling: The most recent available information is in the tables:
	
		
			 Estimated expenditure by benefit unit work status 2009-10 
			 £ million, nominal 
			  Where at least one adult is in work Where no adults are in work 
			 Attendance allowance 150 4,950 
			 Bereavement benefits 400 250 
			 Carers allowance 400 1,050 
			 Council tax benefit 550 4,150 
			 Disability living allowance 2,750 8,750 
			 Employment and support allowance 350 900 
			 Housing benefit 3,050 16,950 
			 Incapacity benefit 1,450 4,650 
			 Income support 450 7,900 
			 Industrial injuries disablement benefit 250 600 
			 Jobseekers allowance 900 3,800 
			 Pension credit 250 7,900 
			 Retirement pension 10,950 55,950 
			 Severe disablement allowance 100 800 
			 Statutory maternity pay 2,000 0 
			 Statutory sick pay 50 0 
			 Winter fuel payment 600 2,150 
			 Total of benefits shown in this table 24,650 120,750 
			    
			 Total benefit expenditure — 147,550 
			 DWP benefit expenditure not included above — 2,150 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest £50 million. 2. The most recent available data is for 2009-10. 3. Figures cover Great Britain and relate only to benefits for which DWP is responsible. Source: Family Resources Survey and DWP accounting data.

Unemployment: Poverty

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people classified as in poverty were (a) in work and (b) unemployed in each year from 1995 until the most recent date for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The economic classification of an individual has been revised to be in line with the International Labour Organisation economic status classification. This means that no economic status data is available for 1994-95 and 1995-96 as the relevant information was not collected in the Family Resources Survey for those years. Figures are shown from 1996-97 in tables 1 and 2.
	
		
			 Table 1: Numbers of individuals living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median equivalised household income, who are in work, are unemployed or in other categories, United Kingdom, 1996-97 to 2009-10 
			 Number of individuals (million) 
			  Before Housing Costs After Housing Costs 
			  In work Unemployed Other (1) All In work Unemployed Other (1) All 
			 1996-97 1.7 1.1 8.0 10.8 2.3 1.4 10.3 14.0 
			 1997-98 1.9 0.9 8.1 10.9 2.5 1.1 10.0 13.6 
			 1998-99 1.8 0.8 8.2 10.8 2.5 1.0 10.1 13.6 
			 1999-2000 1.9 0.8 8.1 10.7 2.5 1.0 10.0 13.5 
			 2000-01 1.9 0.7 7.8 10.4 2.6 0.9 9.5 13.0 
			 2001-02 1.8 0.6 7.9 10.4 2.5 0.7 9.6 12.8 
			 2002-03 1.9 0.6 8.0 10.6 2.7 0.8 9.6 13.1 
			 2003-04 2.0 0.6 7.8 10.4 2.7 0.8 9.2 12.6 
			 2004-05 2.0 0.6 7.4 10.0 2.8 0.7 8.6 12.1 
			 2005-06 2.2 0.7 7.5 10.4 3.1 0.8 8.9 12.8 
			 2006-07 2.1 0.6 8.0 10.7 3.0 0.8 9.4 13.2 
			 2007-08 2.3 0.7 8.0 11.0 3.3 0.8 9.3 13.5 
			 2008-09 2.4 0.8 7.7 10.9 3.4 1.0 9.0 13.4 
			 2009-10 2.3 1.0 7.1 10.4 3.3 1.3 8.8 13.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Proportion of individuals living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median equivalised household income, who are in work, unemployed, or in other categories, United Kingdom, 1996-97 to 2009-10 
			 Proportion of individuals (percentage) 
			  Before Housing Costs After Housing Costs 
			  In work Unemployed Other (1) All In work Unemployed Other (1) All 
			 1996-97 16 10 74 100 17 10 73 100 
			 1997-98 17 8 74 100 19 8 73 100 
			 1998-99 17 8 76 100 18 7 74 100 
			 1999-2000 18 7 75 100 19 7 74 100 
			 2000-01 18 7 75 100 20 7 73 100 
			 2001-02 18 6 76 100 20 6 75 100 
			 2002-03 18 6 76 100 20 6 74 100 
			 2003-04 19 6 75 100 21 6 73 100 
			 2004-05 20 6 74 100 23 5 72 100 
			 2005-06 21 7 72 100 24 6 69 100 
			 2006-07 19 6 75 100 23 6 71 100 
			 2007-08 21 6 73 100 25 6 69 100 
			 2008-09 22 7 71 100 25 7 67 100 
			 2009-10 22 10 68 100 25 10 66 100 
			 (1) The other group consists of pensioners, children and the economically inactive. Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax payments, National Insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 3. Figures have been presented on a Before Housing Cost and an After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Costs they are. 4. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 5. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year. 6. Figures are for the United Kingdom from 2002-03 onwards. Earlier years are for Great Britain only. 7. Numbers of individuals have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 and percentages to the nearest whole percentage point. 8. The economic classification of an individual has been revised to be in line with the International Labour Organisation economic status classification. This means that no economic status data is available for 1994-95 and 1995-96 as the relevant information was not collected in the Family Resources Survey for those years. 9. The total of the in work and unemployed populations does not match the total in low income for that year. The remainder of the population in low income in each year presented is made up of those classified as economically inactive, or who are pensioners or children. 10. Further statistics on the population in low income can be found in the National Statistics report Household Below Average Income available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai Source: FRS

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the threat to UK national security arising from the activities of the Taliban.

Alistair Burt: The Government's considered assessment remains that without the current presence of international forces in Afghanistan, al-Qaeda, and those willing to offer them sanctuary, would be able to re-establish themselves and the threat of terrorism from the region, including to the UK, would rise.

Belarus

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to enable opposition groups from Belarus to meet hon. Members.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I met Belarusian opposition figures in London during a visit organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office between 13 and 15 December 2011. The delegation met a number of hon. Members, along with the International Offices of a number of political parties, and representatives of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. They also attended the launch of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Belarus.
	We have no firm plans for a repeat visit at this time. However, as 1 told the opposition groups, the UK will continue to pursue all means possible to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Belarus.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2012, Official Report, column 547W, on Democratic Republic of Congo: elections, if he will place a copy of the mission report in the Library.

Henry Bellingham: The mission report from the US National Democratic Institute and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems is not owned by the UK Government and will therefore not be placed in the Library. We will continue to work with key partners to ensure that there is a thorough and transparent review of the electoral process and that necessary improvements are made.

Iceland

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Icelandic counterpart on Iceland's possible membership of the EU; and what support he has offered to the government of Iceland on preparation for EU membership.

David Lidington: I last met Iceland's Foreign Minister, Mr Ossur Skarphéðinsson, during the London Conference on Libya in March 2011, when I reiterated the UK Government's strong support for Iceland's EU accession. We believe that the process of EU accession offers the most effective means to help resolve at the EU level challenging areas, such as fisheries, finance and the environment (including whaling).
	Practical support to help Iceland prepare for EU membership is provided through the EU's Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), which provides targeted funding to all candidate countries to ensure they are ready to take on the responsibilities of EU membership upon accession. The total value of the Instrument for Iceland is approximately €12 million per year, of which the UK contributes approximately €1.5 million. While Iceland is already highly aligned to much of the EU acquis, the Instrument is valuable in helping Iceland to tackle specific niche areas that remain outstanding. Iceland also contributes its own funding to complement funds provided under the IPA.

Information Commissioner

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many appeals his Department has made to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months.

David Lidington: There has been a significant rise in the number of cases involving the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) at the Information Tribunal over the last 12 months. In the majority of cases requesters appealed against the Information Commissioner's (ICO) Decision Notices and the FCO was joined as a party to the proceedings and was therefore obliged to take up the case.
	In four cases the FCO appealed the ICO's Decision. In one of these cases, the ICO agreed to withdraw its original decision to require disclosure. In the second, the original Decision Notice of the ICO was replaced by the Tribunal on the basis of a compromise agreement between the FCO and the ICO. In the third, the Tribunal agreed with the FCO that some of the information which the ICO had sought to be disclosed should be retained. The fourth case is due to be heard at the end of this month.

Libya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking on the desecration of war graves in Libya.

Alistair Burt: British embassy officials immediately visited the sites on 25 February and raised this issue with the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Benghazi Chief of Police, making clear our outrage, the need to provide security to the sites and conduct thorough investigations into the attacks. Our ambassador also raised our concerns with the Deputy Foreign Minister, the Minister of Interior and the offices of NTC Chairman Abdul Jalil and Prime Minister al-Kib. In response to these incidents, Foreign Minister Khayyal and Chairman Abdul-Jalil made statements condemning the attacks, and the Transitional Government published a statement on 28 February, describing the damage as:
	“unethical, irresponsible and criminal”
	and making clear that the Libyan Government:
	“severely denounces such shameful acts and vows to find and prosecute the perpetrators according to Libyan Law”.
	The Libyan authorities have instructed the police to make regular patrols and station police outside the cemeteries to ensure no further attacks occur.
	I recently raised this again with the Deputy Foreign Minister Abdul Aziz and stressed the importance of a thorough investigation. He gave further assurances that the Libyan Government shared our views on the attacks and would continue to investigate these crimes.

Mass Media

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what media monitoring services his Department has purchased in each of the last five years.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has purchased the following media monitoring services:
	2007
	Central Office of Information (COI) Media Monitoring Unit press and media summaries; Precise Media press cuttings
	2008
	COI Media Monitoring Unit press and media summaries; Precise Media press cuttings
	2009
	COI Media Monitoring Unit press and media summaries; Precise Media press cuttings; Kantar media monitoring service
	2010
	COI Media Monitoring Unit press and media summaries; Precise Media press cuttings; Durrants press cuttings (July onwards); Kantar media monitoring service
	2011
	COI Media Monitoring Unit press and media summaries; Precise Media press cuttings; Durrants press cuttings; Kantar media monitoring service.
	Overall costs have reduced due to a drive to achieve greater efficiency and a move from print to electronic delivery.

Middle East

Heather Wheeler: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the Government is providing for the renewal of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Alistair Burt: The UK continues to make regular high level representations to the Government of Israel and to the Palestinians on the urgency of making progress towards a two-state solution. We view as a positive development the efforts of King Abdullah of Jordan and Jordanian Foreign Minister, Nasser Judeh, to bring the parties together under the framework of the Quartet statement of 23 September 2011.
	The UK also provides practical and technical support, including to the Office of the Quartet Representative, to reinforce the prospects for peace, economic development and stability in the region.

Palestinians

Nadhim Zahawi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what his policy is on the application of the Quartet principles to a Hamas-Fatah unity government; [R]
	(2)  what reports he has received on Hamas' Charter; and what assessment he has made of the likely effect the charter will have on the Middle East peace process; [R]
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect of Hamas and Fatah merging their security forces on co-ordination between Palestinian Authorities and the authorities in Israel on security matters. [R]

Alistair Burt: We continue to follow developments on Palestinian reconciliation closely, including recent meetings between Hamas and Fatah officials, and discussions that may have implications for the two organisations' charters and their future co-operation on security issues.
	We have been clear that any new Palestinian authority, including any technocratic government formed to prepare for elections, must be composed of figures committed to the principles set by President Abbas in Cairo in May 2011; uphold the principle of non-violence; be committed to a negotiated two-state solution; and accept previous agreements of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. We will judge any future Palestinian Government by their actions and their readiness to work for peace. The Palestinian Security forces should remain under the command of the Palestinian Authority.
	In the context of the dramatic changes in the wider middle east, we continue to encourage all groups to espouse the principle of non-violence and to join mainstream democratic politics, thereby contributing to peace and stability in the region. If Hamas were to do so, this would constitute a significant step towards meeting the Quartet principles.

Tunisia

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK Government is taking to increase trading links with Tunisia.

Alistair Burt: The UK has worked hard to help secure an EU mandate to negotiate a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with Tunisia. The DCFTA will bring greater integration with the EU single market as well as regulatory convergence. The EU has also re-launched discussions on the EU-Tunisia Agriculture Agreement. We are also focused on helping UK companies identify new opportunities within the Tunisian market. UK Trade and Investment held an event last week “Arab Spring One year on: Business opportunities in North Africa”, which generated a good level of interest in Tunisia.
	I met with the Tunisian Minister for Vocational Training and Employment Abdelwaheb Matar in January. Mr Matar sought co-operation with the UK in all major fields including investment and vocational training and I assured Mr Matar of UK support.
	Through our Arab Partnership Fund, we have provided approximately £1.2 million of support in Tunisia so far, including for political participation, public voice, good governance, and economic reform. This support will help build a more stable political and economic environment, which will in turn create a better enabling environment for the creation of new and strengthened trading links with Tunisia. The Department for International Development is also funding the African Development Bank in Tunis to co-ordinate donor support for private sector development in the middle east and North Africa region. We expect to further increase programme funding for Tunisia in the next financial year.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Housing

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the armed forces housing budget was in each year from 2000-01 to 2011-12; and what the budget is projected to be in 2012-13;
	(2)  how many people have lived in service married living quarters for a total of eight years, in each year since 2000.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) on 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 135W.

Armed Forces: Housing

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many married couples have been housed in service married living quarters in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many service married living quarters there are in each (a) region, (b) local authority area and (c) parliamentary constituency.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) on 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 134W.

Armed Forces: Housing

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many couples have lived in service married living quarters for longer than eight years, in each year since 2000.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) on 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 134W.

Armed Forces: Housing

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average cost per annum is of each service married living quarters.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 138W, to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones).

Armed Forces: Life Insurance

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what compensatory payments are made by (a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments to bereaved service families.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 8 March 2012
	A list of all compensation and benefits payable in respect of a member of the armed forces who has died as a result of service can be found at:
	http://www.veterans-uk.info/pensionscompensation.htm

Armed Forces: Married People

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces were married when they joined the forces.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) on 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 133W.

Armed Forces: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are in place to support military personnel experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the issue of mental health very seriously, and we will continue to offer a high standard of treatment and care to those who need it. Service personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder will normally be referred to and treated in one of our military Departments of Community Mental Health, which offer a wide range of psychiatric and psychological treatments, including medication, psychological therapies, and environmental adjustment where appropriate. In-patient care, when necessary, is provided in specialised psychiatric units under contract with the NHS. Throughout the treatment process, personnel and their families are offered assistance and support from a range of welfare, regimental and charitable groups.
	In accordance with the recommendations of my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison)’s ‘Fighting Fit’ Report, published in October 2010, additional resources are also being allocated by MOD and the Department of Health to improve the mental health care provided to both serving and ex-service personnel. Key among these are the commissioning of an extra 30 whole-time equivalent NHS mental health professionals to deliver improved access to NHS mental health services to veterans, and the launch in March last year of a professional 24-hour helpline for current and ex-service personnel and their families. Additionally, we are currently trialling use by the service community of the Big White Wall, an online early intervention service for people in psychological distress. We have launched an e-learning package to help civilian GPs understand the needs of the military, their families and ex-service personnel. And we are introducing mental health assessments into routine service medical examinations and into discharge medicals. The mental health assessments are currently being introduced on a regional basis.

Freedom of Information

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many appeals his Department has made to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months.

Andrew Robathan: One.

Katrice Lee

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2012, Official Report, columns 828-9W, on Katrice Lee, how many police officers and other resources are assigned to the open case; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 March 2012
	18 service police personnel are assigned to the investigation into the disappearance of Katrice Lee. All are working on the case full-time. The team consists of a senior investigating officer, his deputy and five investigators from the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch. These are supported by 11 Royal Military Police personnel who are using the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System (HOLMES), which is a management tool used during major police inquiries to handle very large quantities of data. The investigation team also has access to a wide range of additional Royal Military Police and civilian police resources, including specialist advisers from the National Policing Improvement Agency.
	I wrote to the hon. Member on this issue on 7 March 2012.

Mass Media

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what media monitoring services his Department has purchased in each of the last five years.

Andrew Robathan: During the last five years the Ministry of Defence has used the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) within the Central Office of Information and subscribed to a press cuttings service.
	MMU can provide services such as media briefings, broadcast summaries and news alerts for Departments.

Navy: Reserve Forces

Frank Doran: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had on the future of the Aberdeen University Royal Navy Unit and its Royal Navy Reserves.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 19 March 2012
	No decision has yet been made; the potential relocation of Aberdeen University Royal Navy Unit (AURNU) is part of an ongoing study to ensure optimisation of available fleet assets while ensuring value for money.

Reserve Forces: South East

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) men and (b) women there were in the reserve forces in (i) Dartford constituency, (ii) Kent and (iii) the south-east in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: The requested information is not available in the format requested. However, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 March 2012, Official Report, column 648W, to the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South (Bridget Phillipson). I can further advise that of the 330 full-time reserve service personnel identified as employed in the south-east region, 290 are men and 40 are women.

Veterans: Staffordshire

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the memorial to British nuclear test veterans in Staffordshire was funded.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 March 2012
	The British Nuclear Test Veterans Association memorial at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire was privately funded.

War Pensions

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse has been of legal action relating to war pensions for nuclear test veterans.

Andrew Robathan: In the current group of ongoing nuclear test veterans war pensions appeals the Ministry of Defence has to date been notified of bills as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Solicitors 153,273 
			 Barristers 167,188 
			 Experts 34,987 
			 Other costs 96,511 
			 Total 451,959 
		
	
	These figures exclude VAT and do not include the cost of any associated MOD resourcing or obtaining security clearances for individuals involved in the cases.
	The Treasury Solicitor's Department, for reasons of Government accounting, charges for its services on a cost recovery basis.
	We are awaiting a hearing date to be confirmed for these appeals. We remain keen to work with the tribunal and appellants with a view to ensuring that costs relating to all war pensions appeals are proportionate and kept to a minimum.

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2011, Official Report, column 531W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in his Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provided five places on the summer diversity internship scheme and four two-week Whitehall Internships as part of the Social Mobility Strategy in the last 12 months. Information on the number of people who may have undertaken other internships or work experience placements in the MOD in the last 12 months is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The MOD does not offer opportunities to volunteer in the Department.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on concessionary bus travel in Birmingham Ladywood constituency in each year since the scheme was introduced.

Norman Baker: There is no breakdown available by parliamentary constituency. From 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2011, the Department for Transport provided Special Grant funding to local authorities to cover the extra costs of the England-wide statutory off-peak bus travel concession for older and disabled people, which was introduced on 1 April 2008. The Special Grant funding allocated to Centro, the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Centro 12.353 12.644 12.993 
			 England 212.0 217.0 221.0 
		
	
	In England, until 31 March 2011, the Department for Transport's Special Grant funded a portion of the statutory concession, but the majority of funding was provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) through Formula Grant. From 1 April 2011, all funding is through DCLG's Formula Grant.

Bus Services: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pensioners claimed free bus travel in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency in each year since the scheme was introduced.

Norman Baker: The Department does not hold this information in respect of individual parliamentary constituencies.
	Population estimates from the Office for National Statistics show the numbers of people of eligible age for an England national bus pass, for Centro, the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority, and for Birmingham, from mid-year 2008 to mid-year 2010 as provided in the following table:
	
		
			 £000 
			  2008 2009 2010 
			 Centro 537.1 541.7 546.4 
			 Birmingham 180.1 180.2 181.2 
			 England 11,324.2 11,541.1 11,746.5 
		
	
	The National Travel Survey 2010 estimates that in England 78% of eligible older people hold an England national bus pass.

Bus Services: Concessions

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of people eligible for a free bus pass claimed their entitlement in (a) England, (b) Kent and (c) Dartford in the last year for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: New statistics derived from the Department for Transport travel concessionary survey show that an estimated 9.9 million eligible older and disabled people held a concessionary bus pass in England in 2011-12. There is no reliable information at local authority level on the number of passes on issue.
	Population estimates from the Office for National Statistics show that in mid 2010, the latest period for which figures are available, there were 18,900 older people resident in Dartford, 354,500 resident in Kent and 11.7 million resident in England who were of the eligible age for a bus pass. The National Travel Survey 2010, estimates that in England, 78% of eligible older people hold an England national bus pass. The Department does not hold information on the number of eligible disabled people.
	The number of concessionary passenger journeys on local bus services in England from 2007-08 to 2010-11, can be found at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/tables/bus0105/

Bus Services: Concessions

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on the use of bus passes by disabled people before 9.30 am; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The statutory minimum concession gives free off-peak travel on local buses in any part of England to eligible older and disabled people. Off-peak is defined as 9.30 am to 11pm Monday to Friday and at all times at weekends and on bank holidays.
	Travel concession authorities in England may offer additional discretionary travel concessions to their older and disabled residents, including travel in the morning peak, if they choose to do so. Such enhancements are not part of the statutory minimum and must be funded from an authority's own resources.

Driving Under Influence

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) correspondence and (b) meetings her Department has had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on changes to the drink drive rehabilitation scheme.

Michael Penning: Driving Standards Agency (DSA) officials have not met their counterparts at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to discuss changes to the drink drive rehabilitation scheme.
	DSA has corresponded with BIS officials as part of the pre-publication clearance process for consultation papers and impact assessments.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will ensure that the terms of the HS2 compensation package do not adversely affect community cohesion by providing different benefits for those living in the same area.

Justine Greening: holding answer 20 March 2012
	The Government are committed to ensuring that any HS2 compensation package deals fairly and consistently with local residents and businesses.

McKinsey and Company

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department paid to McKinsey and Company in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: To the best of my knowledge, the Department for Transport has had no spend with McKinsey and Company in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Moor Vehicles: Imports

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if she will review her policy relating to vehicle imports and the differential treatment of UK and non-EU citizens;
	(2)  if she will review her policy relating to vehicle imports to allow an adjustment period for UK citizens in which their imported vehicle can be driven on public roads before it has passed the Individual Vehicle Approval test.

Michael Penning: There are no plans to review current policy. International agreements require us to permit the temporary use, by a foreign citizen, of a foreign-registered vehicle for a limited time (a maximum of six months in any 12-month period), whilst UK residents importing a vehicle to the UK must register the vehicle with DVLA within 14 days of its entry. The regulations permit an unregistered vehicle to be driven to a pre-booked IVA test.

Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of contracts issued by (a) her Department and (b) agencies for which she is responsible were rewarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in the latest period for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: The latest period for which figures are available is January to December 2011.
	
		
			 Agency Number of contracts awarded Number of small Number of medium Total SMEs Percentage of contracts awarded 
			 DFT(c) 176 14 5 19 10.80 
			 DSA 31 8 3 11 35.48 
			 DVLA 44 4 4 8 18.18 
			 GCDA 0 0 0 0 0.00 
			 HA(1) 1,697 0 0 411 24.22 
			 MCA(1) 189 0 0 39 20.63 
			 VCA 5 4 0 4 80.00 
			 VOSA 94 20 4 24 25.53 
			 Total 2,236 50 16 516 23.08 
			 (1) HA and MCA are unable to a breakdown between small and medium

Railways: Electrification

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2012, Official Report, column 568W, on railways: Wales, what discussions she has had with Welsh Ministers regarding electrification of the Valleys Lines; and who will be responsible for making a decision and statement regarding funding of any project relating to the feasibility study.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), is in ongoing discussions with Welsh Ministers regarding the proposed electrification of the Valleys Lines. If electrification is funded through the High Level Output Specification for the railway, any decision and statement regarding funding will be a matter for the Secretary of State for Transport.

Railways: North West

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the likely benefits that the Northern Hub proposal could provide to residents of Hyde, Stalybridge and Mossley.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has not carried out an assessment of the likely benefits of the Northern Hub proposal specifically to residents of Hyde, Stalybridge and Mossley. However, the scheme will increase the capacity and capability of the rail network in and around Manchester to the benefit of rail users as a whole.

Road Works: Fees and Charges

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the recommendations of the report by the Transport Research Laboratory on a charge structure for trenching in the highway; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will introduce a charge structure to allow highway authorities to recover some of the cost of future maintenance of roads from utility companies where they have dug up highways and reinstated the surface.

Norman Baker: The Department sympathises with concerns expressed by local authorities about the issues addressed in the TRL Report, and with the view that “the polluter should pay”. However, I am yet to be persuaded that statutory powers about resurfacing and recovering long-term damage costs would offer a proportionate and workable solution that creates the right incentives for utilities to reduce future damage.
	I am concerned that these costs may simply feed through into utility bills rather than changing utility companies' behaviour for the better. It would therefore still be households and businesses who ultimately bear the costs of long-term damage, whether through taxation (as now) or through utility bills (as it would be under the TRL proposals).
	The proposal would also be inconsistent with the coalition Government's commitment to reduce regulatory costs on business, and in particular the principle that any new regulatory costs affecting business should be accompanied by an offsetting deregulatory measure.
	Rather than imposing a levy that would create a new regulatory burden and result in higher utility bills, the Government believe the more pragmatic approach is to reduce long-term damage costs through a greater focus on high-quality reinstatements.
	I do not propose to bring forward legislative proposals in this area in the foreseeable future, but the Department will continue to keep the position under review through its ongoing engagement with the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee, ADEPT and other interested parties.

HEALTH

Diabetes: Health Services

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to address any discrepancies between figures from the National Diabetes Audit and the Quality and Outcomes Framework achievement data.

Paul Burstow: Departmental officials are working with the Health and Social Care Information Centre to understand the reasons for the differences between figures from both data sources. Variation in figures could be ascribable to differences in scope and data assessment methodology. We will work with stakeholders to understand the reasons for the differences and to identify what needs to be done as a result.

Drugs: Prisons

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether drug addiction assessments are carried out on prisoners at the end of their time in prison.

Paul Burstow: Drug assessments are not routinely carried out on all prisoners prior to release. However, all prisoners who have been engaged in structured drug treatment while in custody should undergo a pre-release review by the prison substance misuse team, primarily to ensure that the necessary continuity of care arrangements are in place.
	The completion of pre-release reviews will be monitored as part of the performance management arrangements which accompany the introduction of the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System across all English prisons and young offender institutions from April 2012.
	Any prisoner can self refer for drug treatment at any point during an episode of imprisonment, including immediately prior to release. National clinical guidelines give clinicians information on how they can undertake pre-release assessment and treatments.
	Subject to legislation, the National Health Service Commissioning Board (NHSCB) will be responsible for the future commissioning of health services for those in custody. The NHSCB will assume commissioning responsibilities for prison substance misuse services on behalf of Public Health England and will work closely with local Drug and Alcohol partnerships to ensure a cohesive approach at a local level.

General Practitioners: Training

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that members of GP Commissioning boards are trained on mental health issues.

Paul Burstow: The main function of a governing body of a Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will be to ensure that the CCG has appropriate arrangements in place to ensure they exercise their functions effectively, efficiently and economically and in accordance with generally accepted principles of good governance.
	Individual members of the CCG governing body will bring different perspectives, drawn from their different professions, roles, background and experience (and may include mental health perspectives).
	As commissioners, CCGs will need to have strong relationships with a range of health partners. This will provide them with access to information, advice and knowledge to help them make the best possible commissioning decisions. The Health and Social Care Bill therefore places a duty on CCGs to obtain appropriate advice from a broad range of professionals, such as mental health specialists, as well as actively involving patients and carers to bring their experience into commissioning services. CCGs will also access multidisciplinary advice from clinical networks and senates, on the design and delivery of services.

Lost Property

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Simon Burns: The following table outlines the Department's property losses and thefts from 1 February 2011 to 31 January 2012 and is the latest information available.
	
		
			 Departmental losses and thefts 1 February 2011 to 31 January 2012 
			 Items Numbers Estimated  r eplacement cost  (£) 
			 Laptops 10 7,909.32 
			 Desktop computer 1 1,150.32 
			 Blackberries 32 4,675.00 
			 Mobile telephones 4 277.60 
			 Remote access tokens 7 105.00 
			 3G cards 4 1,031.56. 
			 Encryption keys and server rails 1 1,457.00 
			 Stationery kit shoulder bag 1 353.00 
			 Total  16,958.80 
		
	
	NHS Connecting for Health (NHS CfH) is part of the Department's Informatics Directorate. However, there are a number of fundamental differences between the Department and NHS CfH, including suppliers and equipment used. It is therefore deemed appropriate to display the figures for NHS CfH losses and thefts separately to the rest of the Department.
	The following table outlines their property losses and thefts from 1 February 2011 to 31 January 2012.
	
		
			 NHS CfH losses and thefts 1 February 2011 to 31 January 2012 
			 Items Numbers Estimated Replacement cost 
			 GPRS 5 250.00 
			 Mobile devices 19 4,484.00 
			 Mobile telephones 10 370.00 
			 Laptops 21 22,512.00 
			 Remote access tokens 4 140.00 
			 SIM only 10 0.00 
			 Total 69 27,756.00

Lung Cancer: Health Services

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of stay of lung cancer patients following an emergency admission to hospital was in (a) England, (b) Medway Primary Care Trust and (c) West Kent Primary Care Trust in each of the last three years.

Paul Burstow: Information on the mean and median length of stay, in days, for emergency admissions to hospital for England, Medway Primary Care Trust (PCT) and West Kent PCT of residence for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11 is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Mean (1)  and median (2)  length of stay (in days) for emergency admissions (3)  with a primary diagnosis (4)  of lung cancer for England and selected PCTs (of residence) (5)  for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11 (6) 
			 Days 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			  Mean length of stay Median length of stay Mean length of stay Median length of stay Mean length of stay Median length of stay 
			 England 11.3 8 11.2 7 10.7 7 
			 Medway PCT 11.8 8 10.0 7 9.4 5 
			 West Kent PCT 11.9 8 10.2 7 10.7 7 
			 (1) Mean length of stay—the average length of stay based on the difference between the admission date and discharge date in days of each spell, summed for all spells and divided by the number of spells where a valid duration has been recorded. This excludes day cases and periods of care where the length of stay is less than one full day. (2) Median length of stay - the middle value of all the valid lengths of stay when placed in ascending order. (3) Emergency admissions—the count of admission episodes with an admission method indicating the admission was an emergency admission method code: 21 = Emergency: via Accident and Emergency (A&E) services, including the casualty department of the provider 22 = Emergency: via general practitioner (GP) 23 = Emergency: via Bed Bureau, including the Central Bureau 24 = Emergency: via consultant out-patient clinic 28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A&E department of another health care provider. (4) Primary diagnosis—the primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. ICD-10 Codes used: C34.0 Malignant neoplasm of main bronchus C34.1 Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, bronchus or lung C34.2 Malignant neoplasm of middle lobe, bronchus or lung C34.3 Malignant neoplasm of lower lobe, bronchus or lung C34.8 Malignant neoplasm of overlapping lesion of bronchus and lung C34.9 Malignant neoplasm of bronchus or lung, unspecified C78.0 Secondary malignant neoplasm of lung (5) SHA/PCT of residence—the strategic health authority (SHA) or primary care trust (PCT) containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another SHA/PCT for treatment. (6) Assessing growth through time—HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and PCTs in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.. Activity includes in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Lung Cancer: Health Services

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage change in spending on lung cancer treatment was in (a) England, (b) Medway Primary Care Trust and (c) West Kent Primary Care Trust in each of the last three years.

Paul Burstow: The following table sets out the percentage of change in spending on lung cancer for England, Medway Primary Care Trust (PCT) and West Kent PCT, in each of the last three years.
	
		
			  2007-08 (£000) 2008-09 (£000) Percentage Change 2009-10 (£000) Percentage Change 2010-11 (£000) Percentage Change 
			 England Level Data 232,347 240,259 3.41 276,125 14.93 181,376 -34.3 
			 Medway Primary Care Trust 581 706 21.51 778 10.27 875 12.4 
			 West Kent Primary Care Trust 2,388 2,418 1.26 2,578 6.62 2,464 -4.4 
			 Notes: 1. In order to improve data quality, continual refinement have been made to the programme budgeting data calculation methodology since the first collection in 2003-04. The underlying data which support programme budgeting data are also subject to yearly changes. This was particularly significant in 2010-11. For instance, the England level expenditure on lung cancer has fallen by 34% but this is due to changes in the collection methodology. The amount of expenditure allocated to the 'Other Miscellaneous' category increased substantially in 2010-11, which means less expenditure is allocated to the individual programme categories and subcategories. Caution is therefore advised when using programme budgeting data to draw conclusions on change in PCT spending patterns between years. 2. Figures include expenditure across all sectors. Disease specific expenditure do not include expenditure on prevention, or general practitioner expenditure, but do include prescribing expenditure. 3. Calculating programme budgeting data is complex and not all health care activity or services can be classified directly to a programme budgeting category or care setting. When it is not possible to reasonably estimate a main programme from existing data sets, expenditure is either included within the 'Other Miscellaneous' subcategory, or apportioned over other categories. Treatment may vary between years. 4. When it is not possible to reasonably estimate a disease specific subcategory from existing data sets, expenditure is included within the other subcategory of the relevant programme. The allocation of expenditure to programme budgeting subcategories is not always straightforward, and subcategory level data should therefore be used with caution. It should also be noted that approximately 50% of cancer expenditure is allocated to the 'Other' cancer subcategory, so the subcategory figures should be interpreted with caution. There is not sufficient information to . allocate some services, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, to the individual subcategories. 5. England level figures are calculated using PCT and strategic health authority programme budgeting returns and Department of Health resource accounts data. Figures will include an estimation of special health authority expenditure. Source: Annual PCT programme budgeting financial returns

Mass Media

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what media monitoring services his Department has purchased in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The Department's daily cuttings from the national press have been provided by Precise Media since 1 July 2007.
	Prior to April 2010, regional press cuttings were sourced from Kantar Media Intelligence (formally known as TNS Media Intelligence) via a rolling agreement. Since April 2010, the regional press cuttings service has been provided by Precise Media.
	The spend on media monitoring services the Department's Media Centre has purchased in each of the last five years is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			 Department of Health 
			 Financial year Spend on press cuttings (£) (1) 
			 2006-07 186,726.95 
			 2007-08 130,126.92 
			 2008-09 119,180.72 
			 2009-10 133,055.81 
			 2010-11 120,185.79 
		
	
	The Media Monitoring Unit based at the Central Office of Information provides the Department with a 24-hour a day, 365 days a year monitoring service of broadcast and print media. They also provide summaries throughout the day and overnight of key Government-related stories and transcripts of interviews on request.
	
		
			 Department of Health 
			 Financial year Spend on media monitoring (£) (1) 
			 2006-07 115,504.42 
			 2007-08 113,657.00 
			 2008-09 117,070.00 
			 2009-10 133,106.90 
			 2010-11 96,608.92 
			 (1) The figures provided above are all inclusive of VAT. 
		
	
	Connecting for Health joined the Department's Media Centre following the merger of the media relations functions of the Department and NHS Connecting for Health in April 2009. Therefore, the figures provided above for the financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 for both press cuttings and media monitoring also includes a small proportion of spend for Connecting for Health's media monitoring subscriptions.

MMR Vaccine

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Urabe strains of the MMR vaccine Pluserix and Immravax were licensed for use in the UK.

Paul Burstow: Pluserix licence (PL 0002/0166) was granted on 17 June 1988 and Immravax licence (PL 06745/0020) was granted on 18 September 1989.

NHS: Drugs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 473W, on NHS: drugs delivery services, for what reasons his Department does not monitor the number of emergency deliveries made by medicine manufacturers to pharmacies;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 477W, on NHS: drugs and with reference to Best Practice for Ensuring the Efficient Supply and Distribution of Medicines to Patients, how his Department defines ‘quickly and conveniently' in relation to the supply of prescription medicines to patients; and what steps he is taking to monitor such supply.

Simon Burns: The joint guidance “Best Practice for Ensuring the Efficient Supply and Distribution of Medicines to Patients”, states that the aim of all parties in the supply chain should be that, under normal circumstances, pharmacies receive medicines within 24 hours. Pharmacies make their own commercial arrangements with suppliers and we are cautious about imposing additional data return burdens on the supply chain, including on pharmacists.

NHS: Standards

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts the Care Quality Commission took enforcement action against in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.

Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health, and adult social care in England and is responsible for developing and consulting on its methodology for assessing whether providers are meeting the registration requirements under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the 2008 Act).
	During 2009-10, the CQC registered national health service providers against a registration requirement relating to health care associated infection.
	Since 1 April 2010, NHS providers have been registered against the full set of registration requirements under the 2008 Act.
	The following information has been provided by the CQC.
	(a) The CQC took enforcement action against the following NHS providers in 2009-10.
	Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
	North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
	East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
	Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
	(b) On 1 April 2010, the following NHS providers were registered with conditions:
	Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
	Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Devon Partnership NHS Trust
	East and North Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust
	East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust
	Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
	Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust
	Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
	Medway NHS Foundation Trust
	Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust
	Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
	Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
	Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust
	Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
	Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
	Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
	West London Mental Health NHS Trust
	Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
	Subsequently the CQC took enforcement action against the following NHS providers during 2010-11:
	Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust
	Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
	Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust (Derriford Hospital)

Nutrition: Children

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's publication Healthy Lives, Healthy People, what steps he plans to take to further protect children from the marketing of food and drinks high in fact, sugar and salt.

Anne Milton: The Department continues to keep the position under review in the light of the latest research and evidence. The promotion of food, including to children will be further considered in the forward work programme of the Food Network of the Responsibility Deal for 2012-13.

Pancreatic Cancer: Health Services

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to raise pancreatic cancer survival rates in the worst performing cancer networks to match those in the best.

Paul Burstow: “Improving Outcomes in Upper Gastro-intestinal Cancers”, published in 2001, makes recommendations on the treatment, management and care of patients with upper gastro-intestinal cancers including pancreatic cancer. “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published in January 2011, makes it clear that the improving outcomes in cancer guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will continue to be a feature of all commissioned cancer services.
	We know that patients having a more advanced stage of disease at diagnosis is one of the main reasons for variation in cancer survival outcomes. This is why we have prioritised achieving earlier diagnosis in the Cancer Outcomes Strategy. The strategy is backed by more than £750 million over the spending review period and sets out an ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15 through earlier diagnosis of cancer and improved access to screening and treatment.
	To support the national health service to tackle regional variations in cancer survival rates we are providing data to providers and commissioners that allow them to benchmark their services and outcomes against one another and to identify where improvements need to be made. Surgical resection is currently the best curative intervention for pancreatic cancer and, through the National Cancer Intelligence Network, we have already made available data collections on survival rates and surgical resection rates across a range of cancers, including pancreatic cancer.
	In “Improving Outcomes a Strategy for Cancer: First Annual Report”, published in December 2011, we have said that continuing to provide the NHS with benchmarked data on variations in services and outcomes as a lever for improvements is a priority for 2012.

Pancreatic Cancer: Health Services

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the quality of training for clinical nurse specialists on pancreatic cancer.

Paul Burstow: It is the responsibility of strategic health authorities (SHAs) to commission education and training for their local health care work force. In partnership with local service and education, providers, SHAs agree the training requirements for nurse specialty programmes, such as clinical nurse specialists on pancreatic cancer, and the practice learning opportunities embedded within those programmes.
	As part of their standard contract with the national health service, higher education institutes are required to demonstrate to employers that they can deliver training places that include systematic quality assurance processes.
	The new system for education and training will tackle variations in quality standards for nurse training and assure greater consistency in access to employer led continuing professional development and new professional, education initiatives. Local Education Training Boards will address local inconsistencies and will be held to account through the education outcomes framework overseen by Health Education England (HEE).
	At a national level, the recommendations made by the NHS Future Forum Report to develop properly structured, post-qualification pathways will be supported by collaborative working from HEE and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to transfer (a) latent infection and (b) other tuberculosis treatment to GPs and pharmacists; and what plans he has for future funding of this care delivery.

Anne Milton: Clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommend that treatment for tuberculosis (TB) should be provided by specialist clinicians. However, other health care professionals such as pharmacists may be involved in overseeing directly observed treatment for latent or active TB infection on behalf of a specialist clinician. Funding for local provision of services for TB is a matter for local national health service organisations.

Vaccination: Schools

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2012, Official Report, column 136W, on vaccinations: schools, who will be responsible for local co-ordination of (a) immunisation and (b) schools' vaccination programmes once primary care trusts are abolished.

Anne Milton: The Department will delegate responsibility for the commissioning of national immunisation programmes to the National Health Service Commissioning Board (NHS CB) by means of a formal written agreement. There is work in hand to develop and agree a shared model for how the NHS CB will commission immunisation in the new system to ensure safe transition. The model will draw appropriately on the expertise of Public Health England. The local co-ordination role forms part of the development of this model.

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 846W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in his Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

Paul Burstow: During the past 12 months, the Department has taken part in the Civil Service Whitehall Internship Scheme from 25 July to 5 August 2011, as part of the Government's Social Mobility Strategy. The scheme was developed in response to a pledge in the coalition agreement to provide internships in every Whitehall Department for people from under-represented groups. The Department provided opportunities for three people of school leaving age, to work in our Whitehall office, giving them meaningful work experience and an insight into the civil service.
	The Department continues to support the annual Cabinet Office Summer Placement Scheme to encourage ethnic and disabled candidates to apply for the fast stream. During the summer of 2011, the Department employed and paid three individuals from 11 July to 2 September 2011, giving them an insight into the Fast Stream Development Programme.
	On an annual basis, the Department also engages in an annual eight-week placement for NHS management trainees and last year the Department took on three trainees. There were also 18 analysts and 10 finance students awarded paid, fixed term appointments to help enhance their work experience and aid their academic studies.
	The Department also demonstrates its commitment to corporate social responsibility by formalising its work experience activities through the 'Building Bridges' programme. In the last 12 months, the Department has provided two weeks work experience placements for each of eight students as part of their mandatory year 10 work experience.
	Other information on unpaid and expenses-only internships, volunteers and short-term work experience placements, organised locally by directorates, is not collected centrally. It would incur disproportionate costs to collect the information requested.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biodiversity: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to promote biodiversity in the Borough of Havering in the last 12 months.

Richard Benyon: The borough of Havering is a partner in the Greater Thames Marshes Nature Improvement Area, one of only 12 winners in the recent national competition for Government funding. The Greater Thames Marshes NIA measures 490 km(2) of which roughly 8 km(2) falls within Havering borough, and will support the development of a coherent ecological network across the Thames estuary.
	In addition, Natural England supports specific management of the borough's land holding for environmental purposes, including biodiversity. In 2011-12 a new (Higher Level) Environmental Stewardship agreement was signed for management on parts of Ingrebourne Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest, owned by the borough, providing £16,000 for conservation management on 18.7 hectares of important wetland habitat and 109 hectares of Hornchurch Country Park. Natural England provides continued support and funding for two existing agreements on borough-owned land.
	As a partner in Green Space Information for Greater London, the borough of Havering contributes to and benefits from the development of a comprehensive and up to date environmental evidence base for London, part-funded by Natural England.

BSE: USA

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the likelihood of the US lifting BSE trade barriers;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the potential benefits for UK farmers if US import conditions aligned with the World Organisations for Animal Health standards;
	(3)  what recent discussions she has had with her US counterparts on the aligning of US import conditions with the World Organisations for Animal Health standards;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the potential effects on the beef industry if US import conditions aligned with the World Organisations for Animal Health standards;
	(5)  what discussions she has had with EU officials on the likelihood of the US lifting BSE trade barriers.

James Paice: DEFRA works with the food and drink industry, and other Government Departments, to take full advantage of the potential for growth through overseas trade, including by identifying global market opportunities and barriers to exports. Last year, the growth in the beef export trade approached 15% in real terms.
	The retail market for beef in the United States is currently estimated at around $74 billion (£44 billion) and imports are valued at some $1.4 billion (£0.84 billion).
	The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service published a proposed rule on BSE and imports of bovine animals and their products in the Federal Register on Friday 16 March. The summary to the proposed rule states that the changes, if implemented, would continue to guard against the introduction of BSE into the US, while allowing the import of additional animals and animal products.
	DEFRA welcomes the publication of the proposed rule. We are enhancing our work with partners, including industry, the European Union and our Washington embassy, as well as the USDA directly, to develop and take forward our views.

Dangerous Dogs

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much was spent on kennelling dogs whose classification under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was subject to a court case in (a) England, (b) London and (c) the London borough of Newham in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many dogs were destroyed in (a) England, (b) London and (c) the London borough of Newham following seizure under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in the last three years;
	(3)  how many dogs are being kennelled in (a) England, (b) London and (c) the London borough of Ealing whilst their status under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is being determined.

James Paice: Figures for the numbers of dogs destroyed and currently held by each police force or local authority, and the costs of kennelling, are not held centrally.

Dangerous Dogs

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department will make an announcement on future dangerous dogs legislation; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: We have been working on a package of measures to tackle irresponsible dog owners and will be announcing these soon.
	Dog attacks are terrible for the victim and in putting the package together we have considered the benefits of compulsory micro-chipping of dogs and extending the current law to cover private property.
	The final package will cover future Government handling of these issues as well as other plans to improve the standards of dog ownership.

Farmers

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has discussed the effect of the reduction in annual investment allowance on farmers with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

James Paice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has regular meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss a range of DEFRA interests including taxation and agriculture.
	Although the annual investment allowance will fall from £100,000 to £25,000 in April 2012, over 95% of businesses are expected to be unaffected by these changes.

Food Supply

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2012, Official Report, column 194W, on food supply, how much of the investment in agricultural research and development will be allocated to (a) crop productivity, (b) sustainable livestock production, (c) waste reduction and management and (d) greenhouse gas reduction.

James Paice: DEFRA in partnership with the Technology Strategy Board and BBSRC are investing £90 million on R&D via the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform over five years with match funding by industry to stimulate technological innovation to increase food productivity while decreasing the environmental impact in the agri-food sector. DEFRA's contribution is £30 million.
	To date, two collaborative R&D competitions have taken place:
	New approaches to crop protection (£13.6 million)
	Sustainable protein production (up to £15 million)
	A third call on food processing and manufacturing efficiency and waste reduction (up to £15 million) was officially launched on 14 March.

Horses: Passports

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of horses without a valid horse passport in each of the last three years.

James Paice: All horse owners are required by law to hold a passport for each horse they own. No specific estimates have been compiled regarding the number of horses without a valid passport. Local authorities are responsible for enforcing horse passport regulations throughout England, and penalties can be applied by the courts for non-compliance.

Natural England: Operating Costs

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the annual cost to the public purse is of Natural England.

Richard Benyon: Natural England's core Grant in Aid settlement for 2011-12 is £200 million and by 2014-15 the settlement is expected to fall to around £157 million.

Poultry: EU Law

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effect on costs and availability of (a) shell eggs, (b) processed eggs and (c) catering and retail products using eggs since the introduction of the ban on non-enriched cages;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the availability of eggs and egg products following implementation of the ban on non-enriched cages.

James Paice: I will be meeting shortly with a range of representative bodies and businesses directly involved in the production, processing and retail of eggs to gather their views on the situation and establish what they think is the cause of any particular problems they are experiencing. In addition, DEFRA officials are monitoring developments closely and liaising at EU level.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many regulations her Department repealed between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and what estimate she has made of the likely savings in each case.

James Paice: The Department revoked 39 statutory instruments between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012, with a further two statutory instruments being partially revoked. 29 of these measures are EU in origin. A list of the instruments revoked is set out in the following table.
	The Department did not repeal any primary legislation in this period. The estimated costs and savings to business are set out in individual impact assessments. These are available electronically from the Better Regulation Executive's Impact Assessment library:
	http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/links/
	Only one of the statutory instruments listed as follows includes savings to business. This is the Pigs (Records, Identification and Movement) Order 2011 which has an estimated saving of £0.16 million per year to business.
	
		
			 1 June 2011 to 31 January 2012 Revocations 
			 The Uplands Transitional Payment Regulations 2012 (1)  (EU):  
			 Regulations revoked The Hill Farm Allowance Regulations 2001 
			  The Hill Farm Allowance Regulations 2002 
			  The Hill Farm Allowance Regulations 2003 
			  The Hill Farm Allowance Regulations 2004 
			  The Hill Farm Allowance Regulations 2005 
			   
			 The Spring Traps Approval (England) Order 2012 (1)  (Domestic):  
			 Regulations revoked The Spring Traps Approval Order 1995 
			  The Spring Traps Approval (Variation) (England) Order 2007 
		
	
	
		
			  The Spring Traps Approval (Variation) (England) Order 2009 
			  The Spring Traps Approval (Variation) (England) Order 2010 
			   
			 The Agricultural Holdings (Units of Production) (England) Order 2011 (1)  (EU):  
			 Regulation revoked The Agricultural Holdings (Units of Production) (England) Order 2010 
			   
			 The Plant Protection Products (Fees and Charges) Regulations 2011 (EU) — Cost to Business of £0.655  million:  
			 Regulations revoked The Fees for Assessment of Active Substances (Third Stage Review) Regulations 2005 
			  The Fees for Assessment of Active Substances (Fourth Stage Review) Regulations 2005 
			  The Plant Protection Products (Fees) Regulations 2007 
			   
			 The Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (Fees and Amendment) (England) Order 2011 (EU)—Saving to Business of £0.1 million:  
			 Regulation revoked The Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (Fees) (England) Order 2010 
			   
			 The Charges for Residues Surveillance (Amendment) Regulations 2011:  
			 Regulation partially revoked Regulation 2(3) of, and the Schedule to the Charges for Residues Surveillance (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (partial revocation only). 
			   
			 The Landfill (Maximum Landfill Amount) Regulations 2011 (1)  (EU):  
			 Regulation partially revoked The Landfill (Scheme Year and Maximum Landfill Amount) Regulations 2004, except for regulations 1 and 2 (partial revocation only). 
			   
			 The Energy Information Regulations 2011 (EU):  
			 Regulations revoked Energy Information (Tumble Driers) Regulations1996 
			  Energy Information (Combined Washer-driers) Regulations 1997 
			  Energy Information (Lamps) Regulations 1999 
			  Energy Information (Household Electric Ovens) Regulations 2003 
			  Energy Information (Household Air Conditioners) (No 2) Regulations 2005 
			  Energy Information (Washing Machines) Regulations 1996 
			  Energy Information (Washing Machines) (Amendment) Regulations1997 
			  Energy Information (Dishwashers) Regulations 1999 
			  Energy Information (Household Refrigerators and Freezers) Regulations 2004 
			  Energy Information (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2001 
		
	
	
		
			  Energy Information (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2009 
			   
			 The Pollution Prevention and Control (Designation of Directives) (England and Wales) Order 2011 (1)  (EU):  
			 Regulations revoked The Pollution Prevention and Control (Designation of Directives) (England and Wales) Order 2010. 
			   
			 The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2011 (2)  (EU)—Cost to Business of £0.016 million:  
			 Regulations revoked The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2009. The Veterinary Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2011. Paragraph 71 of Schedule 4 to the Pharmacy Order 2010 (this aspect is a partial revocation only). 
			   
			 The Smoke Control Areas (Exempted Fireplaces) (England) Order 2011(Domestic):  
			 Regulations revoked The Smoke Control Areas (Exempted Fireplaces) (England) (No 2) Order 2010. 
			   
			 The Smoke Control Areas (Exempted Fireplaces) (England) (No. 2) Order 2011(Domestic):  
			 Regulation revoked The Smoke Control Areas (Exempted Fireplaces) (England) Order 2011 
			   
			 The Pigs (Records, Identification and Movement) Order 2011 (Domestic)—Saving to Business of £0.16 million:  
			 Regulation revoked The Pigs (Records, Identification and Movement) Order 2007. 
			   
			 The Access to the Countryside (Appeals against Works Notices) (England) Regulations 2011 (Domestic):  
			 Regulations revoked The Access to the Countryside (Means of Access, Appeals) (England) Regulations 2004. 
			   
			 New SI The Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011 (EU):  
			 Regulations revoked (6) The Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Amendment) Order 1994. 
			  The Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Amendment) (Wales) Order 2002. 
			  The Pet Travel Scheme (Scotland) Order 2003. 
			  The Non Commercial Movement of Pet Animals (England) Regulations 2004. 
			  The Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) (England) (Amendment) Order 2004. 
			  The Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Amendment (Scotland) Order 2011. 
			 (1) The measure does not require an impact assessment. (2 )Impact assessment is titled The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2009.

Regulations

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many regulations her Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

James Paice: DEFRA introduced 41 statutory instruments between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012 but no primary legislation. These regulations are listed in the following table. 22 of these regulations are EU in origin.
	DEFRA does not capture the total cost to the public purse of these new regulations (e.g. including staff time or cost to regulators), but does capture the forecast costs and savings to business, which are set out in the individual impact assessments. These are available electronically from the Better Regulation Executive's impact assessment library:
	http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/links/
	
		
			 Title Domestic/EU Ref Date 
			 Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Regulations 2012 EU 2012/178 25 January 2012 
			 Uplands Transitional Payment Regulations 2012(1) EU 2012/114 16 January 2012 
			 Plant Health (Import Inspection Fees) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012(1) EU 2012/103 12 January 2012 
			 Access to the Countryside (Appeals against Works Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012(1) Domestic 2012/67 12 January 2012 
			 Agriculture (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2012(1) Domestic 2012/66 10 January 2012 
			 Spring Trap Approval (England) Order 2012(1) Domestic 2012/13 4 January 2012 
			 Water Supply (Amendment to the Threshold Requirement Regulations 2011 Domestic 2011/3014 14 December 2011 
			 Seed Marketing Regulations 2011 EU 2011/2992 12 December 2011 
			 Eels (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2011(1) EU 2011/2976 12 December 2011 
			 Charges for Residues Surveillance (Amendment) 2011(1) Domestic 2011/2945 6 December 2011 
			 Wine Regulations 2011 EU 2011/2936 6 December 2011 
			 Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations Domestic 2011/2933 6 December 2011 
			 Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011 EU 2011/2883 6 December 2011 
			 Flood and Water Management Act 2010 (Commencement No 5 and Transitional Provisions) (Sections 38and 39) Domestic 2011/2856 28 November 2011 
			 Incidental Flooding and Coastal Erosion (England) Order (Sections 38 and 39) Domestic 2011/2855 28 November 2011 
			 Animal By-Products (Enforcement) and Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 EU 2011/2681 8 November 2011 
			 Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products (Amendment) Regulations(1) EU 2011/2677 5 November 2011 
			 Marketing of Fresh Horticultural Produce (Amendment) Regulations(1) EU 2011/2587 26 October 2011 
			 Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 (Amendment) Regulations(1) EU 2011/2499 17 October 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Commons Act 2006 (Commencement No 6) (England) Order(1) Domestic 2011/2460 10 October 2011 
			 Agricultural Holdings (Units of Production) (England) Order(1) EU 2011/2451 7 October 2011 
			 Landfill (Maximum Landfill Amount) Regulations 2011(1) EU 2011/2299 15 September 2011 
			 Alien and Locally Absent Species in Aquaculture (England and Wales) Regulations EU 2011/2292 12 September 2011 
			 Flood and Water Management Act 2010 (Commencement No 4 and Transitional Provisions) Order Domestic 2011/2204 5 September 2011 
			 Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2011(1,2) EU 2011/2159 25 August 2011 
			 Pigs (Records, Identification and Movement) Order 2011 Domestic 2011/2154 29 August 2011 
			 Plant Protection Products (Fees and Charges) Regulations 2011 EU 2011/2132 25 August 2011 
			 Plant Protection Products Regulations 2011 EU 2011/2131 20 August 2011 
			 Smoke Control Areas (Exempted Fireplaces) (England) (No 2) Order 2011(1) Domestic 2011/2106 22 August 2011 
			 Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (England) (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations 2011(1) Domestic 2011/2105 22 August 2011 
			 Access to the Countryside (Exclusions and Restrictions) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2011(1) Domestic 2011/2021 11 August 2011 
			 Access to the Countryside (Dedication of Land) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2011(1) Domestic 2011/2020 11 August 2011 
			 Access to the Countryside (Appeals against Works Notices) (England) Regulations 2011(1) Domestic 2011/2019 11 August 2011 
			 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Variation of Schedules 5 and 8) (England and Wales) Order 2011 Domestic 2011/2015 11 August 2011 
			 Flood and Water Management Act 2010 (Commencement No 1 and Transitional Provisions) (England) Order 2011(1) Domestic 2011/1770 18 July 2011 
			 Water Industry (Schemes for Adoption of Private Sewers) Regulations Domestic 2011/1566 23 June 2011 
			 Environmental Protection (Controls on Ozone-Depleting Substances) Regulations EU 2011/1543 20 June 2011 
			 Energy Information Regulations 2011 EU 2011/1524 20 June 2011 
			 Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (Fees and Amendment) (England) Order 2011 EU 2011/1509 15 June 2011 
			 Pollution Prevention and Control (Designation of Directives) (England and Wales) Order 2011(1) EU 2011/1505 14 June 2011 
			 Rural Development Programme (Transfer and Appeals) (England) Regulations(1) EU 2011/1433 3 June 2011 
			 (1) Denotes that the measure does not require an impact assessment. (2) Impact assessment is entitled the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2009

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Assisted Areas: Northern Ireland

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the Government plans to publish its response to the consultation on removing Northern Ireland's 100 per cent. automatic assisted area status from the Industrial Development Act 1982.

Mark Prisk: Following ministerial level discussions between this Department and the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment Northern Ireland we are aiming to publish the Government's response shortly.

Construction

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of output in the construction industry in January 2012; if he will take steps to boost growth in construction output; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Non-seasonally adjusted data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 9 March 2012 showed that output in the construction contracting sector fell by 12.3% on the month in January, following an 11.8% monthly decline in December (seasonally adjusted ONS data are not available for January).
	The best way to help the construction industry is by creating a balanced model of economic growth. We are doing this through our Plan for Growth.
	The Government are acting positively to strengthen the industry including reforming the planning system, modernising public sector procurement and setting out the first National Infrastructure Plan (NIP), which will unlock up to £200 billion of public and private investment. The NIP sets out a clear pipeline of over 500 infrastructure projects that will be built over the next decade and beyond, including indentifying the 40 priority projects considered most critical for growth
	Announced as part of the Housing Strategy were a number of measures which will make it quicker and easier to get developments off the ground including a mortgage indemnity scheme.
	The Prime Minister and the Minister for Housing and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), jointly announced that from 12 March the mortgage indemnity scheme will allow prospective first time buyers to obtain mortgages on newly-built properties with just a 5% deposit. The NewBuy Guarantee will support an estimated 50,000 jobs in construction and related industries by increasing demand for newly-built homes.
	Another initiative is the £420 million Get Britain Building Fund to help get stalled sites moving again and £500 million Growing Places Fund to provide infrastructure support. It was announced in February that the Growing Places Fund has been allocated to the country's 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships, who will now decide what to prioritise locally.

Digital Technology

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how his Department defines the term digital economy.

Mark Prisk: This area of responsibility was transferred to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 18 January 2011 as set out in the written ministerial statement made by the Prime Minister, Official Report , columns 35-36WS.

English Language: Qualifications

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to develop alternative qualifications below Level 1 for English for speakers of other languages; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: This Department is currently considering the future shape and content for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) qualifications.

Exports: Angola

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value was of UK exports to Angola in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011.

Mark Prisk: UK exports of goods to Angola were: £535 million in 2010 and £376 Million in 2011 UK exports of services to Angola were: £781 Million in 2010. 2011 figures are planned for release in July 2012.
	Sources:
	HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics (Goods) and ONS Balance of Payments (Services)

Exports: Niger

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value was of UK exports to Niger in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011.

Mark Prisk: UK exports of goods to Niger were: £3 million in 2010 and £8 million in 2011. UK exports of services to Niger were: £21 million in 2010. 2011 figures are planned for release in July 2012.
	Sources:
	HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics (Goods) and ONS Balance of Payments (Services)

Foreign Investment in UK

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) regional inward investment agencies and (b) local economic partnerships which have signed a memorandum of understanding with his Department now have access to international pipeline markets.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 12 March 2012
	The impending abolition of the regional development agencies means that none have had, or will have, access to the single national pipeline.
	Currently, there are 15 local economic partnerships, and their nominated delivery partners, that have direct access to the pipeline.

ICT

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken on adopting the recommendations of the Parliamentary Internet and Communications Technology Forum to (a) increase Government investment in broadband, (b) increase Government investment in cutting-edge, innovative ICT education in schools, (c) train and retain highly-skilled ICT students and professionals and (d) develop a strategy to encourage take-up of ICT by small and medium-sized enterprises to encourage their own growth; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 19 March 2012
	In adopting the recommendations of the Parliamentary Internet and Communications Technology Forum the Government are:
	(a) Funding £630 million of investment in rural and urban broadband in this spending review period, with match funding from local authorities. £300 million of additional investment from the TV licence fee is already secured in the next spending review period and decisions on the use of this funding will be taken nearer the time.
	(b) Currently consulting on the proposal to disapply the existing programmes of study, attainment targets and statutory assessment arrangements for ICT from September 2012. This is part of the Government's wider policy on technology in schools, and is intended to reinvigorate ICT in the curriculum through enabling schools to innovate and use their creativity to teach ICT in a way that really meets the needs of their pupils. While the proposed policy does not constitute direct Government financial investment in cutting edge ICT education in schools, if implemented it will provide schools with the freedom to develop more their own more creative and challenging programmes of study—drawing on support and advice from those best positioned to judge what an ambitious and forward-looking curriculum should contain. We know that a number of leading organisations in the IT field are already developing resources and courses which schools can use to enhance their ICT curriculum provision so that it better equips pupils with the higher-level technological skills needed for progress into further study and employment within the IT industry. We anticipate that in response to the proposed disapplication of the ICT programme of study, other organisations will also produce and market resources and support services to schools to help them strengthen their ICT curriculum offer to pupils.
	The Government are also continuing to support better quality ICT teaching. Between the period 2011 and 2013 we will have invested a total of £3.75 million to support the regional centres that provide professional development opportunities for ICT teachers delivered by the VITAL consortium, comprising the Open University and e-skills UK (the Sector Skills Council for IT). We will also be continuing to fund continuing professional development (CPD) for ICT teachers until March 2013.
	(c) The Government currently invest significant funds to support the development of IT skills through the education system. This ranges from the apprenticeships offer, to higher education including funding for provision of the highly regarded IT Management for Business degree, designed by over 60 leading businesses and e-skills UK.
	In addition, e-skills UK, in partnership with industry, is seeking to identify a number of interventions they believe are key to overcoming barriers to developing the skilled individuals required by the sector. They have recently bid successfully for Government funding, provided through the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, to advance a number of key projects to help employers develop better links with universities, addressing both the quality of degree courses and to help develop students with the skills required by business; raise the quality and demand for IT apprentices in SMEs; and develop a framework for a high level apprenticeship which was launched in February this year. These initiatives, alongside the existing professional placement scheme, should assist the industry secure quality IT professionals.
	(d) Through a national pilot programme of 16 “bootcamp” events and web broadcasts, over 4,500 SMEs are being trained to make greater and more effective use of the internet and associated technologies to help them boost productivity and growth. The pilot programme will be completed by the end of March 2012 and will thereafter be evaluated, with the results informing decisions on a potential larger scale roll-out.

Inward Investment: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps UK Trade and Investment has taken to support inward investment in the west midlands.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 20 March 2012
	United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) has contracted with PA Consulting to provide resource to deliver inward investment for England and to co-ordinate inward investment project opportunities for the UK.
	UKTI has agreed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with all of the local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) in the west midlands (Coventry and Warwickshire, the Marches, the Black Country, Stoke and Staffordshire and Worcestershire) describing how we work together to support inward investment into the UK.
	As part of the MOU, UKTI is working with the LEPs to understand the detail of their proposition to potential inward investors. LEPs are asked to articulate their local capability to UKTI which will be fed into sub-sector company propositions. Additionally, UKTI is visiting key local assets in the west midlands to understand potential locations that can be put forward to clients. LEPs will also have access to the new UKTI national pipeline of inward investment opportunities where they can see an aggregate view of investment inquiries in different sectors and regions of interest. There are currently 3,923 projects in the national pipeline, and 135 of these inquiries have expressed an interest in the west midlands as a region to locate.
	UKTI currently has eight staff in the region proactively managing 120 companies, which will increase to 190 by May 2012. UKTI has supported a number of companies who have invested in the west midlands in 2011-12 including Kraft and Tata.
	UKTI will be announcing the 2011-12 inward investment results for the UK on 26 July 2012.

Learning and Skills Improvement Service

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) achieved Corporate Aim 1 of its Operational Plan of 2010-11 that sector delivery should comprise 70 per cent. of the body's overall contract delivery in 2010-11; what progress has been made in increasing sector delivery to 80 per cent. in 2011-12; and when the LSIS plans to publish its Operational Plan for 2011-12.

John Hayes: In its “Operational Plan 2010-11” the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) stated that it would work towards a target of 60% overall programme delivery by the sector for 2010-11, increasing to 70% in 2011-12 and 80% in 2012-13.
	Based on an analysis of its expenditure for 2010-11, LSIS exceeded its target of 60% sector delivery for that year.
	The document “Strategic Intentions 2011-14” sets out key areas of strategic importance for LSIS over the next three years. This document states that LSIS will achieve a sector delivery target of 70%. This replaces the targets previously set out in the “Operational Plan 2010-11”, and was endorsed by the sector, through the LSIS Council.
	LSIS will report on its achievement for 2011-12 against this target within its “2011-12 Trustees' Report and Financial Statements” in summer 2012.
	Together the documents “Strategic Intentions 2011-14” and “LSIS Improvement Services 2011-12” replace LSIS's operational plan for 2011-12.

Overseas Trade: Africa

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time personnel are employed by UK Trade and Investment to work on increasing UK trade with (a) Chad, (b) Guinea-Bissau and (c) Guinea-Conakry.

Mark Prisk: There are no staff employed by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) to work on trade with Chad, Guinea or Guinea-Conakry. However, political support from the head of mission, in respect of a particular contract or business with interests in the market, continues to be available. UKTI also provides some information on these markets via the relevant country pages of the UKTI website.

Overseas Trade: Algeria

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps UK Trade and Investment is taking to increase UK trade with Algeria.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has a team in Algiers focused on increasing UK trade, and offers UK based businesses the full range of its services. This includes bespoke reports, assisting with trade missions, country briefings, maintaining contacts with the Algerian Government and key decision makers, lobbying and other services as requested. My noble Friend Lord Howell of Guildford, the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, participated in trade talks with Algeria in 2011. UKTI works with relevant stakeholders and communicates market opportunities to UK based firms through a range of mechanisms, including an event on North Africa held on 8 March 2012.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many regulations his Department repealed between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and what savings were made as a result of each such repeal.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 15 March 2012
	The following regulations have been introduced in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012, which have repealed 86 statutory instruments. Although there are no cost savings for business, this has improved the regulatory landscape.
	
		
			 Title of the measure Purpose of the measure Date the measure is due to come in force Equivalent annual net cost to business  (£ million, 2009) 
			 Calibration of Tanks of Vessels (EEC Requirements) (Revocation) Regulations 2011 Revocation of the Calibration of Tanks of Vessels (EEC Requirements) Regulations 1975 1 July 2011 0 
			 Public Policy Exclusion Order (Complex Weapons) (Revocation) 2011 To revoke an exclusion from the prohibitions of the Competition Act 1998 to agreements relating to complex weapons. October 2011 0 
			 The Trading with the Enemy (Revocation) Order2011—81 measures The intention of the Trading with the Enemy legislation, which came into effect when the United Kingdom entered a state of war in September 1939, was to prevent the enemy from benefiting from enemy interests in the UK and, vice versa, enemy interests in the UK from benefiting from activities of the enemy. It prohibited any commercial or financial dealings with the enemy and provided for the preservation of enemy property in the United Kingdom in contemplation of arrangements to be made at the conclusion of peace. 15 December 2011 0 
			 The Trading with the Enemy (Revocation) Order in Council 2011—three measures As above but made by a privy council order. 15 December 2011 0

Tobacco: Packaging

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effects of introducing plain packaging of tobacco products on the UK black market in counterfeit tobacco products.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 20 March 2012
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has not made any assessment of the potential effects of introducing ‘plain’ or ‘standardised’ packaging of tobacco products on the UK black market in counterfeit tobacco products. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have the lead responsibility for any such assessment. BIS officials are however working closely with HMRC officials in exploring the potential impacts of introducing such a policy, along with officials from the Department of Health (who lead in this policy area), the Intellectual Property Office, HM Treasury and other interested Departments.

Tobacco: Packaging

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the potential effects of an introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products on (i) the supply and demand of counterfeit tobacco products and (ii) potential violations of UK and international trade mark law.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 20 March 2012
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has not commissioned any research into the potential effects of ‘plain’ or ‘standardised'’ packaging of tobacco products nor evaluated the effects of introducing such a policy. The lead for developing and commissioning any new research in this policy area is with the Department for Health (DH). BIS officials are however working closely with DH officials in exploring the potential impacts of introducing such a policy, along with officials from the Intellectual Property Office (trade mark law), HM Treasury (tobacco duty), HM Revenue and Customs (illicit/counterfeit trade) and other interested Departments.

UK Trade and Investment: Libya

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much UK Trade and Investment spent on activities related to business and commerce in Libya in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) expenditure on activities related to business and commerce in Libya for the last five years to date is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Total (£) 
			 2007-08 54,720 
			 2008-09 48,224 
			 2009-10 45,013 
			 2010-11 25,305 
			 2011-12 107,280 
			 Note: The figures show a decrease in 2010-11 which was due to the unrest in the region impacting on UKTI activities. The marked increase for 2011-12 was due to UKTI designating Libya as a High Value Opportunity (HVO) giving it extra resource to ensure that UK businesses are positioned to respond adequately to Libyan priorities for economic development. These figures do not include the cost of UKT1 staff in Libya and of staff in the UK working on Libya.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has made representations to the Bangladeshi authorities on Bangladesh's new national coal policy.

Alan Duncan: I enquired about the progress of the national coal policy when I visited Bangladesh last year. There was no discussion of the Phulbari mine and the Department has not entered into any further discussions on the matter. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, recently said that there would be no new mining under the current Government.

Bangladesh: Overseas Aid

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has provided support for the proposed Phulbari Coal Project in Bangladesh since 2006.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development has not provided any support for the Phulbari Coal Project.

Bangladesh: Overseas Aid

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what correspondence and discussions his Department has had with UN Special Rapporteurs on the proposed Phulbari Coal Project in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development has not had any discussions with the UN Special Rapporteurs on the Phulbari Coal Project, but we are aware of their recent report.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the paper his Department prepared on discharging its responsibilities towards the British Overseas Territories;
	(2)  pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 14 September 2011, Official Report, column 48WS, on Overseas Territories Strategy, if he will publish the paper his Department prepared on how it intends to recognise its responsibility to engage with the British Overseas Territories.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently drafting a paper which sets out its responsibilities to the Overseas Territories. The final paper will be published on the DFID website and will be available in the Library in due course.

Information Commissioner

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many appeals his Department has made to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months.

Alan Duncan: None.

Lost Property

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Alan Duncan: The Department for international Development's (DFID) central accounting records show the following items have been reported as lost or stolen within the past 12 months.
	
		
			  Estimated current replacement cost (£) 
			 17 laptops 5,070 
			 Three mobile phones 159 
			 One Blackberry 332 
			 Two memory sticks 16 
			 Total 5,577 
		
	
	It is the responsibility of DFID staff to ensure that valuable items of official equipment are adequately protected. If items are lost or stolen, staff must submit a report to security section setting out the circumstances leading up to the loss. Follow-up action, including formal disciplinary procedures where required, will be invoked by the line manager.

Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were rewarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: In the last full financial year (2010-11) contracts awarded by the Department for International Development (DFID) to small and medium-sized enterprises accounted for 53% of all contracts awarded. DFID is not responsible for any agencies.

Rwanda

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government is taking to assist the development of water projects in Rwanda.

Andrew Mitchell: The Government assist the development of a wide range of water projects in Rwanda. Firstly, the Government support provision of water for irrigation through sector budget support and technical assistance to the Rwandan Ministry of Agriculture, which aims to increase the area of irrigated land from 13,000 to 65,000 hectares by 2017. The Government also support the provision of drinking water through its general budget support to the Government of Rwanda, which since 2009-10 has increased the percentage of households with access to safe drinking water from 74% to 81%. Finally, the Government are supporting the establishment of the Rwanda National Fund for Climate and the Environment, which will finance programmes and private sector initiatives which contribute to low carbon and climate resilient development, including integrated water resource management.

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 826W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in his Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) participates in the two week Civil Service Whitehall Internship Programme which was announced through the Social Mobility Strategy in April 2011. This programme provides Year 12 College level students with an opportunity to undertake a two week work experience placement in a Government Department. The programme is designed to increase professional experience and workplace skills and is aimed at students from under-represented backgrounds. DFID offered three internships on this programme in 2011 and will offer a similar number of placements for the 2012 intake.
	DFID also offers internships to graduates and undergraduates through the Summer Diversity Internship Programme (SDIP). The programme is aimed at black and minority ethnic university students and those from lower socio-economic groups and seeks to provide talented candidates with 6-9 week training placements in Government Departments. DFID did not offer any placements during 2011 but has offered three across the Department in 2012.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of the paper his Department prepared on discharging its responsibilities towards the British Overseas Territories.

Gregory Barker: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office plan to publish a White Paper setting out the Government's overall approach to the Overseas Territories shortly.
	In advance of this, we will publish online a paper on DECC's proposed engagement with the British Overseas Territories. I will, on the same day, deposit a copy of the paper in the Libraries of the House.

Energy: Billing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of average debt levels of (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic customers in debt to their energy supplier in (i) 2011, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2009, (iv) 2008, (v) 2007, (vi) 2006 and (vii) 2005.

Charles Hendry: Ofgem monitors and publishes information about the average level of debt that domestic customers owe for their gas and electricity supplies (in its Social Obligations Annual Reports). Ofgem does not publish data on non-domestic customers' level of debt. The following table shows the average level of debt for domestic customers at the end of the year from 2005 to 2010. Data for 2011 are not yet available.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Electricity 197 215 194 240 285 316 
			 Gas 205 204 210 202 295 310 
		
	
	These figures have been adjusted to take into account inflation, with all debt figures calculated in 2010 prices. This has been done using the gross domestic product (GDP) deflator series, published by HM Treasury:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/data_gdp_index.htm

Energy: Billing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 160W, on Energy, if he will consider collecting data on household energy switching by (a) region and (b) social class.

Charles Hendry: The Department collects data of direct relevance to developing policy or tracking the effectiveness of existing policies. Ofgem provides data on the total number of customers switching from one supplier to another in the UK and my Department uses these data in its Quarterly Energy Prices reports. At this time we do not consider the benefits of a more detailed breakdown of switching data to outweigh the costs of sourcing this, but we will keep the matter under review.

Energy: Carbon Emissions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish a table for each level of projected carbon emission factors for grid electricity for Standard Assessment Procedure calculation purposes for (a) 2012, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2016-18, (d) 2019-21, (e) 2022-24 and (f) 2025-27 showing the expected percentage of decarbonisation of the electricity grid that is expected to have been achieved within each such time period.

Charles Hendry: The projected carbon dioxide emission factors covering specific periods out to 2027 were published on 4 January in a technical paper that supports the public consultation on potential changes to the Standard Assessment Procedure. The paper, reference STP11/CO204, can be access via the following link:
	http://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/SAP/2012/STP11-CO204_emission_factors.pdf

Energy: Carbon Emissions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish a table of the forward projections of carbon emission factors for grid electricity within the iterations of Standard Assessment Procedure calculations over the last 10 available years, and the corresponding annual outturn in each year.

Charles Hendry: The carbon dioxide (CO2) emission factors for electricity for the iterations of Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) back to 2002 are:
	
		
			 SAP/period in use Estimated (kg/CO 2 /kWh) Actual (kgCO 2 /kWh) 
			 2001-02 to 2006 0.414 (1)0.534 
			 2005-06 to 2010 0.422 0.605 
			 2009-10 to 2013 (2)0.517 — 
			 2012-13 to 2016 (3)0.522 — 
			 (1) The actual value for the period 2002 to 2006 has not been determined, as compliance with building regulations was generally determined by the elemental U value method, not the alternative Carbon Index method. By comparison the averaged carbon emission value for electricity for the period 2002 to 06, as published in DEFRA's Company Reporting Guidelines, was 0.534 kgCO2/kWh (kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour). (2) The information necessary to determine the values for subsequent years is not yet available. (3) Provisional.

Energy: Carbon Emissions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change by what methodology he calculated the forward carbon emission factors for grid electricity in Standard Assessment Procedure 2012.

Charles Hendry: The methodology employed was published on 4 January in a technical paper that supports the public consultation on potential changes to the Standard Assessment Procedure. The paper, reference STP11/CO204, can be access via the following link:
	http://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/SAP/2012/STP11-CO204_emission_factors.pdf

Energy: Prices

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will commission an inquiry into fair pricing of energy.

Charles Hendry: A public inquiry could take up to a year to complete and may require primary legislation afterwards to deliver any outcomes. The process would be likely to delay Ofgem's planned retail market reforms which are aimed at simplifying complex tariff structures, increasing transparency and improving information provided to consumers.
	Ofgem monitors the market closely to ensure consumers pay a fair price for their energy. Our competitive energy market has ensured that British households pay some of the lowest prices for gas and electricity in Europe.

Environment Protection

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's strategy is for promoting the low-carbon manufacturing base.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 20 March 2012
	The building of a vibrant green economy and the promotion of a low-carbon manufacturing base are top priorities for this Government.
	Last August, the Government published 'Enabling the Transition to a Green Economy'. This sets out the range of levers we are using to drive green growth.
	The National Infrastructure Plan sets out our plans for Centres for Offshore Renewable Engineering—and DECC has been working closely with BIS on agreeing the locations and prospectus for the centres.
	DECC has set aside up to £200 million for the development of low-carbon technologies including up to £60 million for offshore wind manufacturing infrastructure at port sites in Assisted Areas in England.
	Policies including the renewables obligation, renewable heat incentive, the green deal, feed in tariffs and new nuclear build will stimulate greater investment in UK manufacturing, strengthening domestic low-carbon supply chains and bringing local jobs. For example, in February, the British and French Governments signed a partnership agreement underpinned by a number of commercial deals in the field of nuclear energy, worth more than £500 million and creating more than 1,500 jobs across the country—including the building of a new factory in Rotherham.

Environment Protection: Taxation

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of consumer energy bills that is attributable to green taxes.

Charles Hendry: The only tax levied on household gas and electricity bills is VAT at 5%. The costs of energy and climate change policies are not direct levies on energy bills but impact the prices energy suppliers charge their customers.
	DECC estimates that the costs of these policies represent around 7% of the current average household dual fuel bill,(1) consistent with Ofgem's estimates. These largely relate to policies designed to improve the energy efficiency of our homes, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and provide support with energy costs for eligible low income and vulnerable energy customers.
	(1) Analysis published in November 2011 and available online at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/aes/impacts/impacts.aspx

Environment Protection: Taxation

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect the Carbon Price Floor will have on domestic energy bills; and by what means he carried out such an assessment.

Chloe Smith: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury Department.
	An assessment of the impacts of the carbon price floor is given in “HM Revenue and Customs's Tax Information and Impact Note” published alongside Budget 2011. This is available online at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2011/tiin6111.pdf.

Green Deal Scheme

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has considered introducing a transition period for implementation of the Green Deal to allow workers fitting insulation to retrain to fit solid wall installation; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: DECC is working with the solid wall sector to ensure the supply chain can increase capacity in a steady and sustainable way between now and 2015.

Mass Media

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what media monitoring services his Department has purchased in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department was formed in October 2008. The Department has purchased the following media monitoring services:
	2008 and 2009:
	Press cuttings services from Precise, Press Data, Clip Ability Ltd and Strata Matrix.
	Transcripts, media briefings and broadcast summaries from the Media Monitoring Unit of the Central Office of Information.
	2010:
	Press cutting services from Precise, Press Data and Monitor Cymr Wales.
	Transcripts (until September), media briefings and broadcast summaries from the Media Monitoring Unit of the Central Office of Information.
	Transcripts (from October) from Wordsworth.
	2011:
	Press cuttings service from Press Data.
	Press cuttings services (until September) from Precise.
	Press cuttings service (from October) from Durrants.
	Media briefings and broadcast summaries from the Media Monitoring Unit of the Central Office of Information.
	Transcripts from Wordsworth.
	2012:
	Press cuttings service from Durrants and Press Data.
	Media briefings and broadcast summaries from the Media Monitoring Unit of the Central Office of Information.
	Transcripts from Wordsworth.

Nuclear Power

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much energy was generated by each nuclear power station in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012.

Charles Hendry: DECC does not hold generation data for individual nuclear power stations. Data are collected at company level only, for total nuclear generation in each of the UK countries.
	Nuclear generation for the UK as a whole can be found in table ET 5.1, available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/source/electricity/electricity.aspx
	Provisional data for 2011 will be available on 29 March 2012.

Renewable Energy

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the proportion of each county's consumption that is produced by renewable energies (a) including and (b) excluding biomass generation.

Gregory Barker: Unfortunately, no information is held centrally relating to the proportion of each county's electricity consumption that is produced by renewable sources.
	We do publish estimates of final energy consumption(1) at local authority level:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/regional/total_final/total_final.aspx
	(1) However, the electricity estimates show consumption for all generation types (which would include renewables), and estimates for ‘renewables and wastes’ relate to heat consumption.

Renewable Energy

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the estimated load factor was for each form of renewable energy in the latest period for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the load factor in each case in 2020.

Gregory Barker: Data on load factors for electricity generation from the main renewable technologies are published annually in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (table 7.4 in the 2011 edition) and quarterly in Energy Trends (table 6.1). Both publications are available in the House Library, and on the Departments website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/publications.aspx
	The latest data relates to the period 1 July 2011 to 30 September 2011, and was published in the December 2011 edition of Energy Trends; these are reproduced in the following table. Provisional data for the calendar year 2011 will be available in the March 2012 edition of Energy Trends, which will be published on 29 March 2012.
	It should be noted that because load factors are subject to seasonal variability, those covering the latest period are not directly comparable to the estimates covering a full year in 2020. Load factors for renewable technologies vary over time due to factors including weather conditions, maintenance requirements and market conditions.
	
		
			 Estimated load factors for 2020 are taken from Arup (2011) (1) 
			 Percentage 
			 Renewable technology Average load factor during the period 1 July 2011 to 30 September 2011 Central load factors in 2020, Arup (2011) 
			 Onshore Wind 19.2 28.6 above 5MW 
			  — 25 below 5MW 
			 Offshore Wind 30.7 37.7 
			 Hydro 33.7 45.8 above 5MW 
			  — 46.4 below 5MW 
			 Landfill gas 56.3 81 
			 Sewage sludge digestion 42.1 68 
			 Municipal solid waste combustion 44.8 (3)82.7 
			 Animal biomass 54.3 90 
			 Plant biomass 51.0 (4)— 
			 Total (excluding co-firing and non-biodegradable wastes) 30.2 n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 (1 )Arup (2011), Review of the generation costs and deployment potential of renewable electricity technologies in the UK, available at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/cons_ro_review/cons_ro_review.aspx (2) Load factors are calculated using the average installed capacity covering the period in question (in this case 1 July 2011 and 30 September 2011) and the total amount of electricity generated throughout the period. New capacity installed towards the end of the period in question can artificially reduce the load factor. (3) Energy from waste. (4) Indicates brace.

Wind Power: Health Hazards

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what reports he has received of people treated for the effects of illness apparently caused by being in, or living in, close proximity to a wind turbine in the last five years.

Charles Hendry: We are aware of one specific report of illness allegedly related to the operation of wind turbines, of which there are over 3,500 in operation in the UK.
	There is however no scientific evidence that demonstrates a link between wind turbines and direct adverse health impacts in people living in proximity to them.
	DECC and its predecessor Departments have published various independent studies into the impacts of wind farm noise and shadow flicker in recent years. These have concluded that properly sited wind farms do not have a direct effect on public health.
	This position has been most recently confirmed in an independent study by medical and engineering experts published by the US Massachusetts Departments of Environmental Protection and Public Health in January 2012(1) . This found that there is no evidence for a set of health effects from exposure to wind turbines that could be characterised as a "Wind Turbine Syndrome" and that there is insufficient evidence that the noise from wind turbines is directly causing health problems or disease (ie independent from an effect on annoyance or sleep). Noise, shadow flicker and other environmental impacts from wind turbines are considered within the planning process before any decision is taken on whether or not to grant consent to a project.
	(1 )Wind Turbine Health Impact Study: Report of Independent Expert Panel, January 2012—prepared for Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Massachusetts Department of Public Health. See:
	http://www.mass.gov/dep/energy/wind/turbine_impact_study.pdf

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he (a) last chaired and (b) will next chair a meeting of the Offshore Wind Developers' Forum.

Charles Hendry: I chaired the last Offshore Wind Developers Forum meeting on 6 February 2012 with Keith Anderson, Chief Corporate of Scottish Power. The next meeting is scheduled for 26 June 2012.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what methodology his Department plans to use to measure progress in achieving the Offshore Wind Developers' Forum target of 50 per cent. local contract.

Charles Hendry: Following the publication of the Offshore Wind Developers Forum's vision on UK content in February, DECC and The Crown Estate are working with the OWDF to develop a standardised methodology for identifying and recording the level of UK content in future offshore wind farm projects. The outcome of this work will be considered at the next meeting of the OWDF in June 2012.

EDUCATION

Adoption: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in (a) Dartford constituency and (b) Kent were adopted in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: The information requested can be found in the table. Information at constituency level is not available.
	
		
			 Looked after children who were adopted during the years ending 31 March (1) . Years ending 31 March 2007 to 2011 
			  Number of looked after children adopted during the year 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Kent local authority 90 90 75 70 60 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: SSDA903 
		
	
	This information has been published in table LAE1 of Statistical First Release 'Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011', which is available on the Department's website via the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml

Adoption: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in (a) Dartford constituency and (b) Kent were in foster care waiting for adoption in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: The information requested for Kent local authority can be found in the table. Information at constituency level is not available.
	The decision that a looked after child should be placed for adoption is made by the local authority but the local authority cannot actually place the child with prospective adopters without either a placement order or parental consent (depending on the individual circumstances of the case).
	Information about the decision that a child should be placed for adoption has only been collected for all looked after children, for whom the decision was made, since 2009. Previously, this information was only given when the child had been adopted. Consequently, the number of children waiting for adoption can only be provided for the last three years.
	
		
			 Looked after children for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption while placed in foster care, who were then placed for adoption, adopted, had the decision that they should be placed for adoption reversed or who were still waiting to be adopted at 31 March (1, 2, 3, 4) . Years ending 31 March 2009 to 2011. Coverage: Kent 
			 Number 
			   Year in which the child was placed for adoption, adopted, for whom the decision was reversed or was waiting to be adopted 
			   2009 
			 Year in which the decision was made that the child should be placed for adoption Number of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption Number of children placed for adoption Number of children adopted Number for whom the decision was reversed Number at 31 March awaiting adoption (5) 
			 2009 45 10 0 0 45 
			 2010 60 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2011 45 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 Number 
			   Year in which the child was placed for adoption, adopted, for whom the decision was reversed or was waiting to be adopted 
			   2010 
			 Year in which the decision was made that the child should be placed for adoption Number of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption Number of children placed for adoption Number of children adopted Number for whom the decision was reversed Number at 31 March awaiting adoption (5) 
			 2009 45 30 15 0 35 
			 2010 60 15 0 0 60 
			 2011 45 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 Number 
			   Year in which the child was placed for adoption, adopted, for whom the decision was reversed or was waiting to be adopted 
			   2011 
			 Year in which the decision was made that the child should be placed for adoption Number of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption Number of children placed for adoption Number of children adopted Number for whom the decision was reversed Number at 31 March awaiting adoption (5) 
			 2009 45 5 20 0 10 
			 2010 60 25 20 5 30 
			 2011 45 20 0 0 45 
			 n/a = Not applicable (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Consequently, the figures may not add up. (2) Only children looked after in a foster care placement when the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption have been counted. (3) For children living with the family intending to adopt them (ie placed for adoption), it is for the prospective adopters to apply to court for an adoption order. (4) Children waiting to be placed for adoption may either be wailing for a placement order to be made by the court or be in the process of being matched with prospective adopters. (5) The number of children at 31 March awaiting adoption is calculated as the total number of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption, minus the total number of children who were adopted or for whom the decision was reversed. The number includes children who have been placed for adoption, but for whom an adoption order has not yet been made, as well as children who have not yet been placed. Source: SSDA 903 
		
	
	Information on adopted children can be found in the Statistical First Release 'Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011', which is available on the Department's website via the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml

Mass Media

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what media monitoring services his Department has purchased in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education press office has used the same media monitoring services for each of the last five years. These services are set out as follows:
	Durrants, who are now part of the Gorkana Group, provide national and regional newspaper cuttings on a daily basis.
	The Cabinet Office Media Monitoring Unit provides TV and radio summaries and a transcript service.
	Kantar Monitoring provide regional broadcast summaries.

Pupils: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding each (a) primary and (b) secondary school in Peterborough local education authority area had received in respect of the pupil premium at 28 February 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: The Pupil Premium was introduced in April 2011 and allocations have so far been made for the 2011-12 financial year only. Pupil Premium funding is provided in respect of pupils known to be eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), children in care who have been continuously looked after for at least six months and children whose parents are serving in the armed forces.
	In 2011-12 the total Pupil Premium allocation for Peterborough local authority is £2,752,000, in respect of 5,860 eligible pupils. This includes 5,299 pupils eligible for the Deprivation Premium, 371 eligible for the Looked after Premium and 189 eligible for the Service Premium.
	The school level allocations are provided at Annex A. It is not possible to present at school level eligible Looked after Children, service children and FSM pupils recorded on the Alternative Provision census. This is because of the way we collect data for these pupils and for data protection reasons.
	
		
			 State-funded primary, secondary and special schools, and pupil referral units (1,2,3,4) : number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium in 2011/12 (5,6) , Peterborough 
			     Deprivation Pupil Premium (7) 
			 URN LAEstab School Name Number on roll (8) Number of pupils eligible for the Deprivation Pupil Premium Allocation for the Deprivation Pupil Premium 2011/12 (9)  (£) 
			 110601 8741101 The Pupil Referral Service, Peterborough (10)— (10)— (10)— 
			 110683 8742215 Old Fletton Primary School 257 75 36,600 
			 110691 8742223 Southfields Primary School 338 91 44,408 
		
	
	
		
			 110692 8742225 Woodston Primary School 170 45 21,960 
			 110699 8742233 John Clare Primary School 99 (11)— (11)— 
			 110700 8742234 Northborough Primary School 193 12 5,856 
			 110705 8742244 The Duke of Bedford Primary School 180 11 5,368 
			 110710 8742251 Oakdale Primary School 199 8 3,904 
			 110718 8742263 Dogsthorpe Junior School 338 100 48,800 
			 110719 8742264 Dogsthorpe Infant School 267 65 31,720 
			 110722 8742269 Brewster Avenue Infant School 166 28 13,664 
			 110723 8742270 Queen's Drive Infant School 213 31 15,128 
			 110726 8742274 West Town Primary School 304 54 26,352 
			 110727 8742275 Newark Hill Primary School 408 64 31,232 
			 110730 8742279 Gunthorpe Primary School 295.6 74.6 36,405 
			 110731 8742286 Welland Primary School 189 100 48,800 
			 110732 8742288 Bishop Creighton Primary School 197 58 28,304 
			 110734 8742295 Norwood Primary School 200 21 10,248 
			 110735 8742296 Braybrook Primary School 197 59 28,792 
			 110736 8742297 Longthorpe Primary School 417 47 22,936 
			 110743 8742307 Leighton Primary School 329.5 115.64 56,432 
			 110747 8742313 Winyates Primary School 195 114 55,632 
			 110749 8742316 Welbourne Primary School 127.5 37 18,056 
			 110753 8742320 Matley Primary School 245 83 40,504 
			 110755 8742324 Wittering Primary School 288 9 4,392 
			 110756 8742325 The Beeches Primary School 520 104 50,752 
			 110757 8742326 Gladstone Primary School 416 58 28,304 
			 110761 8742330 Ravensthorpe Primary School 191.9 47 22,936 
			 110764 8742334 Parnwell Primary School 237 94 45,872 
			 110767 8742337 Eyrescroft Primary School 375.5 109 53,192 
			 110768 8742338 Highlees Community Primary School 287 141 68,808 
			 110774 8742445 Thorpe Primary School 421 56 27,328 
			 110778 8742449 Paston Ridings Primary School 365 152 74,176 
			 110779 8742450 Abbotsmede Primary School 275 82 40,016 
			 130930 8742451 Werrington Primary School 413 30 14,640 
			 131693 8742453 Heritage Park Primary School 196 27 13,176 
			 131240 8742454 Watergall Primary School 251.8 110.76 54,051 
			 131719 8742455 Middleton Primary School 277.5 99 48,312 
			 132763 8742456 Hampton Hargate Primary School 520 60 29,280 
			 133537 8742457 Nene Valley Primary School 234 18 8,784 
		
	
	
		
			 134306 8742458 Hampton Vale Primary School 452 49 23,912 
			 110819 8743073 Stanground St Johns CofE Controlled Primary School 175 65 31,720 
			 110822 8743076 St Botolph's CofE (Controlled) Primary School 379 28 13,664 
			 110823 8743077 Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School 111 14 6,832 
			 110824 8743078 Castor CofE Primary School 150 11 5,368 
			 110825 8743079 Eye CofE Primary School 317 45 21,960 
			 110826 8743080 Newborough CofE Primary School 185 (11)— (11)— 
			 110851 8743374 Peakirk-Cum-Glinton CofE Primary School 196 12 5,856 
			 110852 8743376 All Saints' CofE (Aided) Junior School 242 34 16,592 
			 110853 8743377 St Augustine's CofE (Voluntary Aided) Junior School 184 43 20,984 
			 110854 8743378 St Thomas More RC Primary School 406 74 36,112 
			 110855 8743379 Sacred Heart RC Primary School 202 14 6,832 
			 110856 8743380 St John's Church School 232 110 53,680 
			 110858 8743382 William Law CofE (Aided) Primary School 549 43 20,984 
			 134461 8743384 Fulbridge Primary School 623 155 75,640 
			 135196 8743385 Discovery Primary School 378 84 40,992 
			 110882 8744081 Ken Stimpson Community School 837 128 62,464 
			 135002 8744082 Hampton College 650 80 39,040 
			 130389 8744083 The Voyager School 1278 273 133,224 
			 110893 8745205 Orton Wistow Primary School 307 9 4,392 
			 136398 8745404 The King's School (the Cathedral School) 730 24 11,712 
			 110899 8745405 Jack Hunt School 1399 282 137,616 
			 110904 8745410 Stanground College 1219 176 85,888 
			 110907 8745413 St John Fisher Catholic High School 639 158 77,104 
			 110908 8745414 Orton Longueville School 732 114 55,632 
			 136266 8745417 Arthur Mellows Village College 1259 55 26,840 
			 135263 8746905 Thomas Deacon Academy 1686.5 338 164,944 
			 135980 8746906 Ormiston Bushfield Academy 648.5 179 87,352 
			 110943 8747013 Marshfields School (10)— (10)— (10)— 
			 110948 8747020 Heltwate School (10)— (10)— (10)— 
			 134272 8747024 The Phoenix School (10)— (10)— (10)— 
		
	
	
		
			 135386 8747025 Nene Gate (10)— (10)— (10)— 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies. (4) Includes maintained special schools, excludes general hospital schools and non-maintained special schools. (5) The number of eligible Looked After Children and FSM pupils recorded on the Alternative Provision census are not included in school level tables (although are eligible for the pupil premium) as they are taken from local authority returns. (6) The number of service children are not provided at school level due to data protection issues. (7) Full time equivalent (FTE) number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals in year groups R-11, (where National Curriculum year groups do not apply pupils aged four to 15). For all those aged five and over includes sole or dual main registrations only. In Pupil Referral Units, FTE pupils aged four (all registration types) and headcount of pupils aged five to 15 (sole or dual main registrations as well as pupils who are registered with other providers and further education colleges) known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals. (8) Full time equivalent (FTE) pupils in year groups R-11 (where National Curriculum year groups do not apply pupils aged four to 15). For all those aged five and over includes sole or dual main registrations only. In Pupil Referral Units, FTE pupils aged four (all registration types) and headcount of pupils aged five to 15 (sole or dual main registrations as well as pupils who are registered with other providers and further education colleges). (9) Each FSM eligible pupil will attract £488 through the pupil premium. For pupils in maintained primary and secondary schools funding will be passed to schools via the local authorities. Academies will receive funding from the YPLA. For pupils in maintained special schools and PRU's funding will be allocated to local authorities to decide whether to pass on funding to the education setting or to hold back funding to manage centrally for the benefit of those pupils it has responsibility for. (10) Allocations for these schools are not included as they are either a maintained special school or PRU. The premium for these establishments is held with the local authority (please see the conditions of grant). (11) Less than five pupils or a percentage based on less than five pupils or an allocation amount based on less than five pupils. Source: January 2011 School Census

Schools: Asbestos

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what level of funds his Department advise local authorities to hold in respect of asbestos-related claims made by former school staff and pupils;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the availability of employer and public liability insurance for asbestos exposure risks in academies and free schools;
	(3)  what (a) arrangements his Department has made and (b) guidance his Department has issued for academies and free schools in respect of employer and public liability insurance cover for asbestos exposure risks to school staff, non-employees and pupils;
	(4)  how many local authorities are unable to obtain public liability insurance for asbestos exposure risks to visitors and pupils in their schools;
	(5)  how many local authorities are unable to obtain employers' liability insurance for asbestos exposure risks to school staff;
	(6)  how many local authorities are self-insured for (a) employer and (b) public liability asbestos exposure risks to visitors and pupils.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities and schools are responsible for making their own arrangements for insurance. As such the Department does not maintain central records on insurance coverage in place.
	No guidance has been issued to local authorities, academies or free schools in respect of insurance cover for asbestos exposure risks.
	Discussions with insurers indicate that asbestos is not considered to be a barrier to obtaining employer liability insurance, though there is a general asbestos exclusion for public liability insurance.

Schools: Fire Sprinklers

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations his Department has received on the mandatory installation of fire sprinklers in new school buildings.

Nick Gibb: The Department has not received any recent direct representations on the mandatory installation of fire sprinklers in new school buildings. We have recently received a copy of a letter from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Services to the principal of Staffordshire University Academy and others about sprinklers. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, my noble Friend Lord Hill of Oareford, will be responding in due course. We did recently consult on proposals to revise the school premises regulations: included in this was a proposal to remove specific references to fire safety in schools, as such requirements are adequately covered in the Regulatory reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Around 14% of respondents objected to this proposal.

Special Educational Needs: Complaints

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on the amount spent on handling complaints relating to care packages allocated to severely disabled children by each local authority in England in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 19 March 2012
	This information is not collected centrally. However, local authorities must monitor the complaints arrangements that they have in place. They must keep a record of:
	each representation/complaint received;
	the outcome in each case, that is, the decisions made in response to the representation/complaint and any action to be taken; and
	whether there was compliance with the time limits.
	Information on the numbers of complaints and outcomes must be published in an annual report.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty: Northern Ireland

Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider bringing forward proposals to change the level of air passenger duty paid at band A by passengers travelling from Northern Ireland to destinations within the UK.

Chloe Smith: The Government set out Air Passenger Duty (APD) rates for 2012-13 and 2013-14 at Budget 2012, including the band A rate that applies to all departures from the UK. Budget 2012 also confirms that the power to set APD rates for direct long haul flights departing from Northern Ireland will be devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and provided for in the Finance Bill 2012.

Gift Aid

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of Gift Aid contributions made by non-taxpayers in error and then reported by HM Revenue and Customs in 2010-11.

Chloe Smith: This information is not held centrally. Errors resulting in the recovery of tax are included in the HMRC reports of additional tax yield.

ICT

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to support the ICT sector by (a) encouraging venture capital funding at the later stages of small and medium-sized enterprises growth and (b) enabling greater global workforce mobility.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	(a) The Government have undertaken a range of measures to encourage venture capital funding at later stages of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) growth.
	Government support for venture capital investment includes firms at the early stage of growth and firms seeking follow-on funding at later stages as the firm develops, through Enterprise Capital Funds (ECFs) and the UK Innovation Investment Fund ("UKIIF" or "the Fund").
	ECFs provide approved private sector investors with access to Government funding for investment in SMEs (of between £250,000 and £2 million). Government have increased their commitment to the ECF programme by £200 million over the four years to 2014-15, providing for more than £300 million of venture capital investment.
	The £330 million UK Innovation Investment Fund is investing in venture capital funds that support technology-based businesses—including ICT businesses—with high-growth potential that are finding it difficult to raise finance in the current economic climate.
	Government are promoting individual venture capital investment in SMEs through the tax system. Government have reformed the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs), increasing rate of income tax relief for EIS to 30% and increasing amounts that can be invested in qualifying companies and the size of qualifying companies (subject to state-aid clearance). These changes will provide an incentive for investment into a broader range of firms than previously, including those at later stages of growth.
	The Government inspired the establishment of the Business Growth Fund as a long-term intervention, funded fully by the banks, and designed to provide finance for firms seeking growth capital helping to fund the recovery which fall between initiatives for small business support and those for larger companies. Five banks agreed to commit £2.5 billion between them over the next decade; the fund was launched on 19 May 2011. Of the six investments already made to date, one investment is in an ICT company.
	It is also worth highlighting the work of the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). ICT is one of the priority areas of the TSB and it is engaged in a range of activities which have a strong ICT component, including Knowledge Transfer Networks and has supported ICT projects in a number of areas. The TSB recently launched a TechCity LaunchPad competition to fund R&D projects aimed at developing a digital product or service to proof-of-concept and/or a user-facing trial. The competition was also designed such that applicants could use the endorsement of Technology Strategy Board assessment, to secure funding from outside their business if required, either from new business partners or from angel or venture capital investors.
	Furthermore, there are plans in place, as stated in UKTI's strategy, "Britain open for business", to take forward an initiative to help link up innovative and high growth SMEs with overseas venture capital. One of the aims of this initiative is to strengthen the links between overseas technology clusters such as Silicon Valley, where there are concentrations of venture capital operations, and UK technology hotspots such as Cambridge and Tech City in the East End of London.
	(b) The Home Office has informed me that Tier 2 of the Points-Based System enables skilled non-EEA nationals to work in the UK. The ICT sector is the largest user of this route.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Annette Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number of firefighters in each (a) region and (b) local authority area who will no longer be eligible to pay income tax once the income tax threshold is set at £10,000;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of firefighters who benefited from the increase in the personal allowance of income tax in 2011-12; and if he will estimate the likely number of firefighters who will benefit from the increase in 2012-13;
	(3)  if he will estimate the number of local government staff in each (a) region and (b) local authority area who will no longer be eligible to pay income tax following the increase in the personal allowance in April 2012;
	(4)  if he will estimate the number of local government staff in each (a) region and (b) local authority area who will no longer be eligible to pay income tax once the income tax threshold is set at £10,000;
	(5)  if he will estimate the number of local government staff who benefited from the increase in the personal allowance of income tax in 2011-12; and if he will estimate the likely number of local government staff who will benefit from the increase in 2012-13.

David Gauke: The June 2010 Budget announced a £1,000 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £7,475 in 2011-1-2 (£820 above the previous Government's plans), with the benefits focused on individuals on low and middle incomes through accompanying changes to the basic rate limit and national insurance upper earnings and profit limits.
	The 2011 Budget announced a £630 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £8,105 in 2012-13 (£240 above indexation), with an equivalent reduction in the basic rate limit to leave the higher rate threshold unchanged.
	As a result of these measures, the Government estimate that 22.6 million basic rate taxpayers will benefit in 2011 -12, among which 830,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether.
	In 2012-13 the Government estimate that 25 million taxpayers will benefit, among which 260,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether.
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.
	The information requested is not available specifically for fire fighters or local government staff.
	The Government are committed to supporting lower and middle income earners by raising the personal allowance to £10,000, and removing the lowest income individuals out of income tax. Decisions on future changes in the personal allowance will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.

Inheritance Tax

John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxable estates there were in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

David Gauke: The number of taxable estates are provided in the National Statistics table ‘Numbers of taxpayers and registered traders’ which can be found on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/table1-4.pdf

VAT: Third Sector

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review his policy on VAT insofar as it affects charitable organisations who serve their local communities.

David Gauke: The Government value the contribution of charities across a wide spectrum of national life and interests.
	The UK has one of the most generous tax systems for charities in the world. Existing reliefs for charities are worth over £3 billion a year. Within this, are existing VAT reliefs worth over £200 million per year. These include zero rates for charities on sales of donated goods, medical equipment and the construction of charitable buildings. In addition Gift Aid, the largest single relief, is now worth nearly £1 billion to charities each year.
	In terms of whether we could extend the VAT reliefs further; in many cases, EU VAT rules mean that it would not be necessary or possible to provide a refund scheme to any contracted provider of public services. The provision of any services under a contract, by a charity or a business, will normally be regarded as a business activity and thus within the scope of VAT. Therefore, if the services provided are taxable (in other words, they are not specifically exempted from VAT) the provider will be able to recover their VAT costs through the normal VAT system.
	However, if the services provided are VAT exempt, any form of VAT refund is prohibited under EU VAT law. Where a provider does incur irrecoverable VAT in the provision of public services, these costs should be taken into account by the contracting public sector organisation when agreeing funding.

CABINET OFFICE

Voluntary and Community Sector

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the state of the community and voluntary sector in the North.

Nick Hurd: I have visited several areas in the North and received a large number of representations and the sector which does an incredibly important job in supporting communities in the North.
	The North is more dependent on public sector income than the Midlands and the South, that is why the Cabinet Office provided over a third its Transition Fund money to the North. The North has also been allocated the same amount of community first money as the rest of the country put together.

Open Source Software

John Pugh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of Government policy on open source software and open standards; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: We have always made clear that, where appropriate, Government will procure open source solutions.
	Open source products are used in the delivery, of huge database programmes—such as the Indian Identity card scheme—at a greater scale and for much less cost than we have experienced in the past.
	Gov.uk, the new platform for publishing in UK Government employs the same open source technologies.
	It's being delivered for a fraction of the cost of previous Government web schemes.

Public Sector Procurement

Guto Bebb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress he has made on opening up public sector procurement to small and medium-sized enterprises;

Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress he has made on opening up public sector procurement to small and medium-sized enterprises;

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress he has made on opening up public sector procurement to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Francis Maude: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to questions six and nine at oral questions earlier today.

Population: Unitary Councils

John Stevenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many unitary authorities have populations (a) under 150,000, (b) between 150,000 and 250,000 and (c) over 250,000.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many unitary authorities have populations (a) under 150,000, (b) 150,000 to 250,000 and (c) over 250,000 (100838).
	Table 1 shows the number of unitary authorities in England and Wales whose estimated usually resident population in mid-2010 fell within the categories specified above. These are the latest available population estimates.
	
		
			 Table 1: Counts of unitary authorities in England and Wales by population size, mid-2010 
			 Population size Count of unitary authorities 
			 All 78 
			   
			 Under 150,000 32 
			 150,000 to 250,000 28 
			 Over 250,000 18 
			 Source: Office for National Statistics

Unemployment

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  if he will estimate the level of female unemployment in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency;
	(2)  if he will estimate the level of ethnic minority unemployment in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking what is the level of female unemployment in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency; and the level of ethnic minority unemployment in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency (101213 and 101214).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested geography are not available.
	As an alternative, we have provided the number of females and ethnic minorities claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for the Ladywood constituency. The number of females claiming JSA IN February 2012 is 2,701 and the number of ethnic minorities claiming JSA in January 2012 is 6,145, the most recent dates for which figures are available.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Voluntary Work

Simon Hart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2012, Official Report, columns 70-1W, on volunteering, how many of the 163,000 people volunteering for 35 hours a week or more are also claiming some form of benefit.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The information requested is not available because volunteering is not routinely recorded for all benefit claimants.
	However, the Department does hold information on the number of people who have volunteered for a “Get Britain Working Work Experience Placement” and the data can be found here:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/pwp/pwp_gbw_feb12.pdf
	I have placed a copy of this document in the Library.

JUSTICE

Claims Management Services

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to consult on the regulation of claims management companies.

Jonathan Djanogly: I plan to issue a public consultation in the summer on the conduct requirements which regulate claims management companies activities. A preliminary consultation and call for evidence has already been carried out with key industry stakeholders and the outcome of this will inform the full consultation. Any proposed changes to the requirements on claims management companies are subject to scrutiny by the Regulatory Policy Committee and approval by the Reducing Regulation Cabinet sub-Committee.

Claims Management Services

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to ensure consumers are aware of the free alternative to using claims management companies.

Jonathan Djanogly: Claims management companies are required to make explicit to prospective clients the right to seek further advice or to shop around, and if they give advice to clients, companies must also inform them of the existence of the Financial Ombudsman Service. The Claims Management Regulation Unit (“the Unit”) recognises the importance of making consumers aware that there is an alternative to using a paid representative to make a claim in relation to financial products and services and will take action against companies that breach these requirements. The Unit has produced specific guidance for consumers, setting out the wide range of self-help resources available from the Financial Ombudsman Service and consumer organisations.

Driving Offences: Mobile Phones

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there have been for driving without due care and attention as a result of using a mobile telephone since 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested on prosecutions for driving without due care and attention as a result of using a mobile telephone since 2011 will be available following the release of the annual court proceedings data for 2011, which are planned for publication on 24 May 2012.

Employment Tribunals Service

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the jurisdictional complaints for the multiple claims accepted in employment tribunals were in the last five years; and how many multiple claims in the last five years consisted of actions against the same employer according to the different types of jurisdiction.

Jonathan Djanogly: Claims to employment tribunals may be classified into two broad categories: singles and multiples. Multiples claims are where two or more people bring claims, involving one or more jurisdiction(s), and usually against a single employer (but not necessarily so, for instance in transfer of undertaking cases). To be joined in a multiple, individual claims must arise out of the same or very similar circumstances. As a multiple, the component claims are processed, and judicially managed, together.
	For the purposes of this answer, we have defined “multiple claims” as the individual component claims brought or handled within a multiple, and “multiple claim cases” as the combined groupings formed by the component claims.
	The following table sets out, respectively for each of the last five complete financial years, and in relation only to multiple claims, the number of jurisdictional complaints accepted, broken down by jurisdictional type. The table also includes a breakdown of the number of multiples claims cases, i.e. the number of multiple claims consisting of actions against the same employer. The jurisdictional mix of such cases will be exactly the same as for multiple claims generally, given that they are exactly the same cohort of jurisdictional complaints.
	
		
			 Multiple claims (1)  accepted 2005-06 to 2010-11 
			 Financial year 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Total multiple claims accepted 62,500 78,400 133,500 88,000 164,800 157,900 
			 Total multiple claims cases accepted 5,900 6,700 6,600 7,400 7,400 5,900 
			        
			 Jurisdiction mix of claims accepted       
			 Nature of claim:       
			 Unfair dismissal 10,100 11,600 8,800 14,100 12,200 11,000 
			 Unauthorised deductions (formerly Wages Act)(2) 17,900 19,000 17,900 15,200 52,300 50,400 
			 Breach of contract 9,600 10,400 8,200 12,000 17,400 13,400 
			 Sex discrimination 10,500 23,100 22,000 13,700 11,900 13,600 
			 Working time directive(2) 26,800 11,400 45,700 11,800 77,500 97,500 
			 Redundancy pay 4,300 4,400 3,900 5,400 10,400 8,900 
			 Disability discrimination 830 1,000 1,100 1,200 900 780 
			 Redundancy—failure to inform and consult 3,700 4,500 4,200 10,800 6,600 7,000 
			 Equal pay 15,400 42,800 59,000 43,900 36,600 34,000 
			 Race discrimination 1,500 860 920 1,100 980 1,000 
			 Written statement of terms and conditions 1,500 1,100 2,400 940 1,400 1,100 
			 Written statement of reasons for dismissal 170 200 220 210 210 130 
			 Written pay statement 140 150 200 210 190 220 
			 Transfer of an undertaking—failure to inform and consult 760 860 1,000 970 1,300 1,300 
			 Suffer a detriment/unfair dismissal—pregnancy 170 180 200 240 200 420 
			 Part time workers regulations 120 440 230 230 120 1,300 
			 National minimum wage 170 460 120 300 110 89 
			 Discrimination on grounds of religion or belief 67 120 160 250 190 150 
			 Discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation 65 96 140 130 130 84 
			 Age discrimination 0 460 1,100 1,000 1,900 4,500 
			 Others(3) 1,800 1,200 10,100 5,200 3,600 1,400 
			        
			 Total 105,700 134,300 187,600 139,000 236,100 248,400 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) Multiples claims are where two or more people bring claims, involving one or more jurisdiction(s), and usually against a single employer (but not necessarily so, for instance in transfer of undertaking cases). To be joined in a multiple, individual claims must arise out of the same or very similar circumstances. As a multiple, the component claims are processed, and judicially managed, together. The terms ‘singles’ and ‘multiples’ are widely used and understood in the context of employment tribunal statistics. They are also defined in regular Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) publications. (2) Jurisdictional claims accepted for 2007-08, 2009-10 and 2010-11 include resubmitted multiple jurisdictional claims (3) The increase in 2007-08 and 2008-09 are due to an increase in claims relating to trade union membership. Source: ET Database

Presumption of Death (Scotland) Act 1997

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what lessons he has learned from the Presumption of Death (Scotland) Act 1997; and if he will bring forward proposals to implement similar legislation for the rest of the UK.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Justice Select Committee recommended, in its report of 22 February 2012 on 'Presumption of Death', that the Ministry of Justice introduce legislation based on the Presumption of Death (Scotland) Act 1977 in order to extend to English and Welsh families the protection that is available to Scottish and, under the Presumption of Death Act (Northern Ireland) 2009, Northern Irish families. We are currently considering the Committee's report and hope to announce our initial conclusions in our response to it before the end of the current Session.

Prisons: Drugs

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners left prison with a drug addiction in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Health.
	We do not hold these figures centrally. The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System will be introduced across all English prisons and young offender institutions from April 2012. This will record the number of individuals leaving prison while receiving either drug or alcohol treatment. It will not however, generate data on dependence among the entire population of offenders leaving prisons. This is because drug assessments are not routinely carried out on every prisoner prior to release.
	Any prisoner can self refer for drug treatment at any point during an episode of imprisonment, including immediately prior to release. National clinical guidelines give clinicians information on how they can undertake pre-release assessment and treatments.
	From April 2013, the National Health Service Commissioning Board (NHSCB) will be responsible for the commissioning of health services for those in custody. The NHSCB will undertake commissioning responsibilities for prison substance misuse services on behalf of Public Health England and will work closely with local substance misuse commissioners and clinical commissioning groups to maintain a local approach and optimise continuity of treatment.

Translation Services

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  with reference to section 1 of the Administrator's Monitoring Requirements of the framework agreement between his Department and Applied Language Solutions, how many performance management meetings between the administrator and the contractor have been held since the framework agreement went operational nationwide on 30 January 2012; and when the next meeting will be held;
	(2)  with reference to the provisional framework agreement between his Department and Applied Language Solutions that the contractor will provide management reports through the web-based portal, what management reports have been submitted to date containing information on (a) the breakdown of available interpreter numbers by region, language, tier and vetting status, (b) complaints received, upheld, timescale for resolution and outcome, per collaborative partner, (c) the number of new interpreters added per tier per region, (d) gaps in availability of languages per region, (e) report status on performance against collaborative partner key performance indicators, (f) telephone interpreting: monthly breakdown of number of calls, number of minutes, total price, per collaborative partner, (g) translation: monthly breakdown of number of single linguist tasks, number of second linguist proof reads, total price and discounts for translation memory, per collaborative partner, (h) transcription: monthly breakdown of number of tasks and total price, per collaborative partner and (i) British Sign Language/deaf blind: monthly breakdown of number of assignments, assignment costs, and travel costs, per collaborative partner; and if he will place those reports in the Library;

Crispin Blunt: The information requested is as follows:
	(1) Regular weekly and often twice weekly meetings are held between the administrator and the contractor. Since 30 January, eight meetings have been held and weekly meetings will continue to take place for the foreseeable future.
	(2) The Ministry of Justice are receiving daily management information from the contractor concentrating on priority areas of interpreter availability and fulfilment of bookings. I have no plans to place these reports in the Library. On 20 March 2011, Official Report, column 672W, I confirmed that the Chief Statistician of the Ministry of Justice is considering what interpreter data can be published by the end of May 2012.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Pricing

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential financial effects of introducing a minimum price for alcohol on (a) the UK beverage alcohol manufacturing industry, (b) the on-trade, (c) the off-trade and (d) the average consumer of alcohol; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Government conducts impact assessments and public consultations prior to introducing any new alcohol legislation.
	The Government will set out its wide range of action to tackle excessive alcohol consumption in its forthcoming alcohol strategy.

British Overseas Citizenship: Malaysia

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions (a) the Minister for Immigration and (b) officials in her Department have met representatives of the Malaysian Government to discuss Malaysian British overseas citizens; and on what dates.

Damian Green: holding answer 22 February 2012
	Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the status of Domain Name System Security Extensions and its impact on cybercrime.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 19 March 2012
	Domain Name System Security Extensions and related measures improve security and trust over the Domain Name System, a critical piece of the internet. In anticipation of the new generic Top Level Domains (such as __.london, and __.xxx ) and Internationalised Domain Names (for example, those in Cyrillic, Chinese or Arabic) shortly to be released by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Domain Name System Security Extensions will promote a safer internet and restrict the opportunity for cyber criminals to harm online user confidence.
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) is actively engaging with the UK internet service provider community to promote voluntary codes of conduct, encouraging industry to implement security measures to ensure our citizens are protected from the ongoing threat of cyber crime.

Deportation: Offenders

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in contesting deportation appeals by those convicted of criminal offences before the first-tier and upper tribunal of the Asylum and Immigration Chamber, for what reason and on how many occasions the UK Border Agency has disclosed evidence from police officers and field intelligence officers to judges that had not been considered as part of their criminal trials.

Damian Green: There are no central records held on the number of occasions upon which evidence from police officers or field intelligence officers have been disclosed to judges. In order to answer this question, the UK Border Agency would need to analyse a large volume of paper and electronic records, which would incur a disproportionate cost.
	Public protection is the primary consideration when presenting information at deportation cases. The UK Border Agency will provide all relevant evidence, including convictions and other information relevant to whether an individual's presence is conducive to the public good.

Immigration Controls

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment the UK Border Agency (UKBA) has made of the balance of power in the employee/employer relationship when (a) people on a work permit/Tier 2 who lose their job also lose the visa that entitles them to reside in the UK and (b) a work permit/Tier 2 employee is obliged to work for the employer that recruits him or her and cannot move to another employer unless the UKBA agrees to the transfer.

Damian Green: Non European Economic Area (EEA) Nationals entering the UK to undertake employment are protected by UK employment law. They have the same employment rights as settled workers. If an individual loses a job under the Tier 2/work permit arrangements, their leave to remain in the UK is curtailed to give them 60 days to find alternative employment or make arrangements to leave the UK. Non EEA nationals entering the UK to undertake employment do so on the basis of taking a specific job with a specific sponsor.
	Individuals can change employers but must obtain permission from the UK Border Agency before doing so. This is to ensure that the job has been offered to resident workers and is at the appropriate skill level and being paid the appropriate rate. This safeguards opportunities for resident workers as well as protecting non EEA workers from being underpaid. It is the UK Border Agency's duty to ensure that non EEA nationals entering the UK comply with their terms and conditions of stay and sponsors adhere to the obligations to which they have signed up. Where overseas workers and sponsors abuse the immigration rules the UK Border Agency will take appropriate compliance action.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many current or former members of the police service serve on the Independent Police Complaints Commission; and in what capacity they serve.

Nick Herbert: The Independent Police Complaints Commission Chief Executive has written to the hon. Member with the information sought. A copy of the letter will be placed in the House Library.

Information Commissioner

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals her Department has made to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: Since 14 March 2011 the Home Office has made three appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights). Two of these were in respect of the same information, which was the subject of two separate requests.

National Policing Improvement Agency: Public Appointments

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written statement of 15 December 2011, Official Report, columns 125-6WS, on National Policing Improvement Agency, who she expects to be the Chair and Chief Executive of the proposed new information technology company; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The chair and chief executive will be appointed by the new owners once they take ownership of the police ICT company.

Police: Baton Rounds

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues to police forces on the deployment of baton rounds; and how any such deployment is authorised.

Nick Herbert: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 5 December 2011, Official Report, column 66W.
	The police no longer use baton rounds. They were replaced in June 2005 when the Attenuating Energy Projectile was introduced into service. The Attenuating Energy Projectile is an impact round and performs very differently from baton rounds.
	Use of the Attenuating Energy Projectile is regulated by the Home Office Code of Practice on the Police use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons (2003).
	The Association of Chief Police Officers Manual of Guidance on the Management, Command and Deployment of Armed Officers (2011) provides operational context to the code of practice. Guidance on the use of the Attenuating Energy Projectile in public order situations is also provided by the Association of Chief Police Officers Manual of Guidance on Keeping the Peace (2010).
	Both the code of practice and the Manual of Guidance on the Management, Command and Deployment of Armed Officers make it clear that deployment and use of the Attenuating Energy Projectile is an operational matter for the chief constable of the relevant force area to authorise.

Police: Private Sector

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether police contracts could be let to private sector companies with non-UK parent companies.

Damian Green: Police contracts could be let to a private sector company with a non-British parent company, provided that the company is able to satisfy the requirements of the European procurement regulations.

Police: Public Finance

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the police commissioner roadshows organised by her Department to take place between January and March 2012.

Nick Herbert: The current estimated costs of the police and crime commissioner partner events are £85,000.

Private Investigators

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have second jobs as private investigators.

Nick Herbert: The requested information is not held centrally by the Home Office.

Sexual Offences: Registration

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the press notice issued by her Department on 5 March 2012, on tightening the law on sex offenders, when she intends to introduce the requirement for registered sex offenders to notify the police of all foreign travel.

James Brokenshire: We currently expect that the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (Notification Requirements) (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 will come into force from summer 2012.

Suicide

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is provided to police officers investigating cases of suicide where the use of the internet may have been a factor in the suicide; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: It is the duty of the chief constable of each force to ensure that there is training and guidance on the practice that police officers should follow in the event of sudden deaths reportable to the coroner, including suicides.
	The subject of suicide is mentioned on several occasions during the initial training for all police officers through various modules of their training about a range of issues including: missing persons, coroners' courts, domestic abuse and sudden death.
	All forces will have local guidance as to how to deal with the investigation and handling of deaths and the bereaved (including suicides). Some forces also have supplementary local guidance or local protocols on sudden deaths and engagement by the police with coroners. No data is available about how many forces have such additional guidance.
	The police are currently taking part in a number of Government-led cross-sector forums which seek to improve practice in the investigation of sudden deaths and in improving support to bereaved relatives.

Suicide

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is provided to police officers on (a) the investigation of cases of suicide and (b) their contacts with families bereaved by suicide; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: It is the duty of the chief constable of each force to ensure that there is training and guidance on the practice that police officers should follow, in the event of sudden deaths reportable to the coroner, including suicides.
	The subject of suicide is mentioned on several occasions during the initial training for all police officers through various modules of their training about a range of issues including: missing persons, coroners' courts, domestic abuse and sudden death.
	All forces will have local guidance as to how to deal with the investigation and handling of deaths and the bereaved (including suicides). Some forces also have supplementary local guidance or local protocols on sudden deaths and engagement by the police with coroners. No data is available about how many forces have such additional guidance.
	The police are currently taking part in a number of Government-led cross-sector forums which seek to improve practice in the investigation of sudden deaths and in improving support to bereaved relatives.

Theft: Agriculture

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time was for a police 999 response in rural areas in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: The requested information is not held centrally by the Home Office.

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2011, Official Report, column 1107W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in her Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

Damian Green: During the 12 months ending February 2012, 22 interns have worked in the Home Office and its agencies. Information on how many people undertook work experience placements or worked as a volunteer in the Home Office and its agencies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Scotland

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent discussions her Department has had with the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the future of its offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Theresa May: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on a range of issues. Decisions on the locations of its offices are operational ones, are for the EHRC to make.